Dear John,

States across the country have passed restrictive laws targeting voters of color — voters whose rights are also under attack in the next round of extreme gerrymandering. And in states including Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin, politicians are trying to sabotage elections by giving themselves the power to change who can count and certify results.

But today, the Senate can take the first step toward turning back these dangerous, undemocratic trends. The Senate has scheduled a vote to advance the Freedom to Vote Act — a bill that, if passed, would be the most comprehensive and consequential democracy reform law enacted in decades.

Add your voice: tell your senators to support our fundamental right to vote by passing the Freedom to Vote Act. Even if your senators back the bill, please let them know you care.

This legislation is strongly supported by a majority of the Senate, including Sens. Joe Manchin, Amy Klobuchar, Chuck Schumer, and others who have worked to craft a powerful response to the threats facing our democracy. All senators will have a chance to amend it on the floor. But Senate obstruction cannot be allowed to stand in the way of this vital measure.

The Freedom to Vote Act sets national standards to ensure fair representation for all Americans, especially those too often excluded from the political process. It makes automatic and same day voter registration the law of the land. It expands early and mail voting, bans extreme partisan gerrymandering, and introduces new protections for underserved communities such as those with disabilities and Native Americans. It takes vital steps to fix our broken campaign finance system.

The 2020 election was an extraordinary success. Despite the pandemic, despite voter suppression and lies, we saw the highest turnout since 1900. Today’s state laws aim to roll back that progress. And even in 2020 we saw an alarming disparity between white voters and voters of color. Seventy-one percent of white voters cast ballots in 2020, compared to 58 percent of voters of other races. That gap will only get worse under new state-level voter suppression laws and discriminatory gerrymandering that undermines communities of color’s growing political power.

This bill is our most significant attempt at democracy reform in years, and it could be our best opportunity to get these voter protections into law. Tell your senators to protect our elections and our democracy by voting for The Freedom to Vote Act.

Thank you for all that you do,

The Brennan Center for Justice