John -- earlier today my Senate colleagues and I were asked a misleading question that attempted to dismiss the coordinated attack on voting rights taking place in states across the country. Defending our democracy and the right to vote is just too important, so I had to set the record straight.

Proponents of restrictive new voting laws keep saying that they’re only rolling back temporary measures implemented to make voting easier during the pandemic. But that is flat-out wrong.

Take vote-by-mail, for instance. Mail-in voting has been standard for years in many states, including conservative states like Utah and swing states like Florida. It’s only now when record numbers of Americans decided to cast their ballots by mail that Republicans decided this method of voting needed to be onerously restricted.

The same goes for voter registration. Last year, 70,000 Georgians registered to vote during the runoff period. So, how did Georgia Republicans respond? By shortening the runoff period and taking away the opportunity for voters to register during the runoff period.

In reference to one law, a judge in North Carolina called it “discriminating with surgical precision.” Across the country, lawmakers have identified the means that more people used to vote, and then they responded by limiting access to those means.

There’s a name for this tactic: It’s voter suppression, plain and simple.

I’m committed to protecting our democracy by fighting voter suppression -- if you’re with me, I hope you’ll chip in now to help support this work.

-- Amy