[ [link removed] ]Sign: Senate Democrats must follow President Biden's call to choose
voting rights over outdated and racist Senate rules. Abolish the
filibuster and pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and
Freedom to Vote Act.
Dear MoveOn member,
"Rules change."
With these two simple words in Atlanta yesterday, President Biden declared
it time to change the filibuster (a "rule" set by the Senate) so that
Republicans cannot use it to block laws that federally protect the right
to vote.^1
We've been pressuring Biden and Senate Democrats for months to eliminate
the filibuster. And while Biden's support could be a game changer,
speeches alone won't protect the right to vote. We need to leverage this
landmark speech into action.
Senate Democrats need to build off the momentum of this message as they
prepare for a critical vote on voting rights this week, in advance of
Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That's why this is an essential moment to say
we want Senate Democrats to join with President Biden and reform the
filibuster so Republicans can't obstruct action on voting rights.
[ [link removed] ]Add your name: Tell Senate Democrats that you're with Biden in
demanding an end to the Jim Crow filibuster—to ensure Republicans can't
stop us from protecting our freedom to vote.
We call on all Democrats to protect our democracy and our fundamental
rights that Martin Luther King Jr. and countless others have fought
tirelessly to achieve. There is no time to waste for President Biden and
Senate Democrats to use their full power to abolish the filibuster and
pass the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement
Act.
[3]Sign Martin Luther King III's petition
Yesterday, I joined the King family in Atlanta to hear President Biden
address the crisis facing voting rights—including the attacks against
voters in state after state with Republican legislatures. While Congress
could confront these attacks and secure voting rights for millions of
Americans, Republicans under the leadership of Mitch McConnell are abusing
the filibuster to make sure the Senate can't even debate—much less vote
on—legislation that has already passed the House of Representatives.
I knew this would be an important speech—but I'll admit I was impressed to
hear President Biden, long a defender of Senate tradition, finally
recognize that we have to make a choice between protecting voters and
protecting the filibuster.
Senate Democrats have near universal support for ending the current
filibuster, which has been changed many times in Senate history. In the
past few years, Republicans changed voting rules around Supreme Court
nominees.^2 And just recently, senators on both sides of the aisle voted
for changes on a debt limit vote. But they still need to get support from
two holdout senators to agree to the changes. That's why Biden's support
right now is so important. Showing that defending democracy is a priority
for his administration can hopefully help move the two Democrats who
aren't yet fully supportive, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.
[ [link removed] ]Join Biden in backing an end to the current filibuster and call for
Senate Democrats to act immediately to protect and expand our freedom to
vote. Sign the petition Sign the petition now to tell our elected
officials that it's time to act on voting rights.
We know that speeches are not enough; we need real action and policy
changes. MoveOn has partnered with Martin Luther King III to call for
action to honor his father's legacy, and over 50,000 MoveOn members have
signed his petition. Add your name today to demand action.
It's time for Democrats to deliver for voting rights.
Thanks for all you do.
–Rahna Epting
Sources:
1. "Biden says he supports changing filibuster rule in order to pass
voting rights bills," ABC News, January 11, 2022
[link removed]
2. "Senate Pulls 'Nuclear' Trigger to Ease Gorsuch
Confirmation," NPR, April 6, 2017
[link removed]
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