“The time is always right to do what is right.”
- Martin Luther King Jr. 

Dear John,
 

Today, as our nation reflects on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and the ongoing progress of the Civil Rights Movement, it’s clear that there’s still progress to be made. 

And environmental progress cannot continue unless all Americans have the means to fairly advocate for themselves and exercise their political power. Because without everyone’s voice, concerns about our community's air, water and land are ignored in favor of big polluter interests.

Our fundamental right to vote is how we can hold our government accountable and ensure that the U.S. takes the necessary steps to combat the climate crisis and advance environmental justice. That’s why we need to break down barriers that keep eligible voters from being heard at the ballot box and in the halls of Congress since climate progress depends on a working, thriving democracy.

Join us as we urge Congress to support the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act!

The simple fact is we have a voting access problem in our country, and more often than not communities of color and low-income communities face the toughest barriers. It’s these same communities that bear the brunt of environmental harms caused by pollution and climate change. By limiting their collective voice, through partisan gerrymandering, restrictive voter identification laws and other methods of disenfranchisement, we limit our opportunity to fight for a cleaner and more equitable future.

That’s why EDF Action is joining with hundreds of advocacy groups representing millions of Americans to call on Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. This bill will address some of the biggest problems facing our democracy and will transform elections for the better, by:
 

• Expanding early voting periods;
   
• Making Election Day a legal public holiday;
   
• Increasing protections for historically marginalized voters;
   
• Reviewing voting changes to prevent racial discrimination;
   
• Increasing the number of voting locations;
   
• Making it harder for states to purge the voter rolls; and
   
• Modernizing voter registration policies to make it easier to vote.

Join us in this fight to ensure that all Americans have the freedom to express their views through the act of voting. It is the only way to ensure our elected officials listen to us and not the big polluters. Send your message today!

Thank you for raising your voice,

Wes Rogerson
Manager, Grassroots Organizing & Activism