Hey team,

In 1965 the Voting Rights Act became law in response to racist, unconstitutional laws that attempted to exclude Black and other minorities from exercising their right to vote - with very successful results. 

However, in 2013 the Supreme Court gutted the VRA, opening the door to a 21st century return to the racist voter suppression of the Jim Crow era. Across the nation, Republicans have rushed to make voting more difficult - especially for Black, Hispanic, and minority voters - passing strict voter ID laws, restricting early and absentee voting (both of which have been a literal lifesaver for voters and our democracy during this pandemic), even making it a crime to hand out water to those waiting in line to vote. 

That is why Democrats in the House stood together to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, to ensure discriminatory voter suppression laws remain a relic of Jim Crow and that our future has fair, free, convenient, and secure elections. 

And that is why I am asking you to stand with us and tell the Senate: pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act!

The right to vote for everyone should be one of the most sacred, fundamental elements of our democracy. Obviously that has not always been the case - at the beginning of our nation, only white, land-owning men were allowed to vote. But we are defined by a constant pursuit for a more perfect union, and in 2021 every single person regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual, gender, or political orientation should have the right to vote safely and conveniently. 

Thank you for joining me in calling on the Senate to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. We are on the right side of history.

Yours in service, 

Gerry Connolly