Just weeks after a violent insurrection in the nation’s capital, the U.S. House proved it will not be intimidated by threats from extremists. It passed a big, bold package of democracy fixes dubbed the For the People Act, taking another step toward the inclusive democracy that tens of millions of Americans voted for last fall. This plan now must pass the U.S. Senate — in no small part because it will directly counter the undemocratic forces in our country that had a lot to do with the January 6 uprising.

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In Michigan, of course, we are no strangers to the threat of far-right radicals and militias. Last April, we saw our own Capitol insurrection in Lansing; I sat on the House floor with domestic terrorists shouting outside the chamber door. My colleagues in the state Senate had gunmen above them in the gallery; now they wear bulletproof vests to come to work. And then, just months before the failed coup attempt in Washington, we discovered that a band of extremists who had stood there in the Senate gallery had plotted to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer. These dangerous elements do not want large segments of our society to vote, and they do not want to respect leaders or elections they disagree with. And unfortunately, they’ve found willing members of our state and national legislatures with whom they can happily partner.

With this in mind, it’s never been clearer that national legislation aimed at protecting the vote and shoring up our democratic institutions is urgently needed.