Friend,

Yesterday, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris made clear that they support ending the filibuster in order for the Senate to pass crucial voting rights legislation. That’s what advocates on the ground and progressives like me have been pushing for.

Ever since Trump and his supporters tried to steal 2020’s election, right-wing state legislatures have been passing laws to diminish the political power of communities of color.

In addition to making it harder to vote, some of these policies would make it easier to subvert elections and enable partisan officials to overturn vote counts by nonpartisan election administrators. (We saw a preview in 2020 as Trump and others tried to take away votes from majority-Black communities like Detroit.)  

Right now in my home state of Michigan, right-wing legislators are trying to go around the Democratic governor in order to suppress votes—disproportionately disenfranchising Black voters and other voters of color. They’re trying to overturn the will of millions of Michigan voters, who’ve already overwhelmingly voted to expand vote-by-mail.

Before this year’s midterm elections, we urgently need federal action to safeguard our democracy.

In response to waves of voter suppression bills at the state level, the Senate can and must pass two important bills that defend and expand our fundamental right to vote: the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.

These policies would restore stripped-out parts of the Voting Rights Act and create new national elections standards to guarantee access to early and mail-in voting, enable automatic and same-day voter registration, and prevent partisan gerrymandering.

But the only way these bills can pass is if we abolish the filibuster.

The filibuster is an outdated tool from the Jim Crow era that’s been used in the Senate to obstruct progress, including to delay or deny the rights of Black Americans. It enables a small minority to keep impeding the will of the American people. Just last year, Republican Senators used it four times to block voting rights bills.

Here’s how it works: The filibuster requires a supermajority of 60 votes—rather than a simple majority of 51 votes—to approve most bills. With 50 Republican Senators and 50 Democratic Senators (plus Vice President Harris to break a tie), we have a slim majority in the Senate.

While Democrats control the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the White House, we must utilize this critical moment to pass meaningful changes to our unjust system—which the American people overwhelmingly support and deserve.

Senate Majority Leader Schumer has said that the Senate will vote soon on voting rights and on changing the filibuster rules to pass legislation (at least on voting rights) with a simple majority of 51 votes.

To be clear: Senators who refuse to act in the face of this crisis are enabling racist voter suppression, and silencing the voices of their constituents of color.

The Democratic Party has made as-yet-unfulfilled promises to Black voters—on everything from voting rights to addressing racist policing to raising the minimum wage and more. No more delays!

For too long, Democrats have let the modern Republican Party continue to restrict participation in what’s supposed to be a democracy, in order to continue their hold on power. But as progressives gain power in our party and build power in the streets, we’re pushing for bold action to defend our democracy, our rights, and our lives.

For centuries, right-wingers have tried to claim that Black and brown people aren’t “real” Americans and thus don’t have rights. They’ve spread hateful ideology, including the concept that communities like mine don’t deserve to be part of our political process.

But we ALL belong here, and our lives and voices matter. The time is NOW to ensure our rights. And to make the progress that the majority of Americans want and deserve, we must abolish the filibuster.

I ran for office to ensure our government reflects the will of the people. Communities like mine have gone unheard for far too long, and I’m going to keep fighting until we all get the representation we deserve.

If you can afford to, please chip in $5 or more toward our efforts to dismantle white supremacy and to build a government that actually works for all of us who call this country home.

Thank you,

Rashida