Friends -
This is a long email about January 6, voting rights, and our movement’s continued struggle to protect and expand them for all. I’ll explain more in just a moment, but if you’re ready to sign on in support of our fight, please, add your name to my petition to defend our democracy — especially today.
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. and threatened the very foundations of our American democracy.
Since that day, far-right extremists have been emboldened, and Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen and fraudulent has turned into an even greater threat.
Now, the events of that day will always remain an ugly stain on our country’s history, but the truth is that the conditions that led to it are far larger than any one person, candidate, or election cycle.
The mob was fueled not only by our former president and extremists within the Republican Party, but by the global rise of authoritarian and nationalist movements that reject the principles of American democracy — equality, freedom, and the peaceful transfer of power.
The attack on the Capitol revealed the growing fragility in our democratic processes and institutions, a systemic weakness caused by years of falsehoods and policies meant to undermine our right to vote in free and fair elections.
The architects of the January 6 insurrection — Donald Trump and his white nationalist, authoritarian allies — are still hard at work, every day, attempting to destroy our democracy.
With the help of their powerful billionaire friends, corporate lobbyists, right-wing think tanks, and dark money super PACs, they’re working to find ways to dismantle constitutional rights and freedoms, especially those of the people most likely to oppose them.
In the wake of the attack on the Capitol, they have accelerated their efforts. They want us to lose faith in the integrity of our democratic system, to turn to despair, to stand aside, and to give up. We cannot let them win.
We must move urgently to protect voting rights and free and fair elections everywhere in America. First and foremost, we must pass two critical pieces of legislation — the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. And we must abolish the filibuster to do it.
That’s why I’m asking you today:
By taking these actions on voting rights, we can stand up to this anti-democratic movement and banish these discriminatory policies to the political dustbin. We can restore the faith of the American people in our democratic system, and have a government that is truly of, by, and for the people.
We need expanded early and mail-in voting.
We need automatic and same-day voter registration.
We need to make Election Day a national holiday.
We need to get rid of hours-long voting lines.
We need to ban partisan gerrymandering.
We need to get dark money out of our elections.
We need to end the discriminatory voting laws that restrict access to the ballot box on the basis of race, age, income, and more.
We need to send an unmistakable message that democracy will prevail, and voting rights will be protected. But to do all that and more, our progressive movement must stand together. So I’m asking you directly, today of all days:
One year after the attack on the Capitol, we understand how fragile our democracy is and that the fight to protect it requires vigilance and clear-eyed determination.
It’s time we have a government that reflects the people it’s meant to serve and represent. It’s time to stand together and demand immediate action to protect our democracy.
Thank you, as always, for being a part of our fight.
In solidarity,
Ed Markey
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Paid for by The Markey Committee
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