Friend,

In America, voters decide the outcome of our elections.

But one year after Republicans in office encouraged MAGA militants to attack our Capitol, they are keeping the Big Lie alive and well in the United States.

A horrifying 66% of Republicans believe that voter fraud helped Joe Biden win the 2020 election, despite widespread evidence to the contrary.(1) And Republican-led legislatures and MAGA advocates are using this false narrative to decimate voting rights, passing laws to limit access to the ballot box, shut down early voting, and block mail-in votes.(2)

There is hope: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that the Senate will bring the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act to the floor in the next two weeks -- and he’s willing to carve out a filibuster exception to get them passed.(3) We need the biggest possible outpouring of grassroots support to get our senators on board to pass these bills and stop voter suppression.

It’s now or never: We must protect voting rights. Click here to be connected to your senators and tell them to vote to pass voter protections!

In 2020, we turned out to vote in record numbers. Now we must demand our senators pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act to ensure that every vote counts in 2022 and future elections. Together, the bills will create national standards to ensure that we can safely and freely cast our ballots, guarantee that trusted local election officials count every vote, and prevent partisan politicians from sabotaging the results of our elections.

Last year, 19 states passed 34 laws that made voting more difficult, and 88 more are being considered this month alone.(4) Here are some of the worst:

• Arizona, which spent millions on a recount that just confirmed Biden was the rightful winner, passed three laws restricting voting and have now introduced terrifying bills that would allow partisan officials to unilaterally overturn election results.
• Georgia outlawed handing water to people waiting in line to vote and put partisan actors on the board of elections.
• Texas made it harder for voters with disabilities to obtain assistance, gave poll watchers the ability to harass election workers, and banned extended voting hours. Texas also is considering a bill similar to Arizona’s allowing partisan overturning of election results.

The January 6 insurrection was a shocking reminder of how far the MAGA faction is willing to go to attack our freedom to vote. In just days, the Senate will have the opportunity to protect our elections, and we need our senators on board. Will you call your senators right now and ask them to protect voting rights for all?

Click here to be connected to your senators and help protect voter rights!

Yours in the fight for our freedom to vote,

Irene, along with Amber, Angela, Annie, Caitlin, Isidra, Jay, Lindsay, LisaMarie, Raquel, and Scottie (the Courage team)

Footnotes:
1. https://www.npr.org/2022/01/03/1069764164/american-democracy-poll-jan-6
2. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-december-2021
3. https://www.businessinsider.com/schumer-senate-change-filibuster-january-17-republicans-voting-rights-2022-1
4. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-december-2021