The Senate Must Not Recess for the Year without Protecting the Freedom To Vote

This year, the Senate has held or attempted to hold six votes on measures to protect Americans’ freedom to vote, ban partisan gerrymandering, and crack down on the influence of dark money in politics. Each of these proposals have the overwhelming support of Americans from both parties.

Despite their popularity, Republicans in the Senate have dug in. They have and will continue to block any bill that protects or empowers voters. Period. It’s part of their plan — along with their counterparts in state legislatures — to rig the system to benefit themselves and their dark money and corporate interest donors, at the expense of everyone else.

The fallout hurts Americans in their daily lives by limiting their voice on other essential issues, like healthcare costs, jobs, and building back from the pandemic.

Fortunately, there is still both the time and a path forward for the Senate to pass legislation that will protect the voice and vote of every American.

First, the Senate must suspend its end of year recess. That will provide the time in 2021 to pass both the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Together the bills would protect the right to vote and access to the ballot box so that every American, no matter where they live, can have their voice heard. They would defend against attempts to sabotage or overturn our elections. They would also end the use of dark money and ban partisan gerrymandering, where self-serving politicians draw partisan congressional districts that strip people of fair and equal representation.

Second, Senate Democrats must commit to doing whatever it takes to pass these bills. No loophole or outdated procedure should stand in the way, because the stakes are too high.

The stakes are whether our government is working for American people, or for corporate and dark money interests.

If the Senate doesn’t pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act soon, they won’t be implemented in time for the 2022 elections. There will be no counter to the attacks Republicans and dark money groups have waged on voters. After spending most of the year passing 33 bills in 19 states to restrict voting, state lawmakers are now drawing extreme partisan gerrymandered maps that deny voters fair representation.

Without Senate action, we won’t be able to counter the anti-voter bills and we risk having a decade of gerrymandered congressional districts that undermine Americans’ voices by having elected officials choose their voters, not the other way around.

Some of the most egregious examples of partisan gerrymandering so far include Texas, where Republicans reduced the number of minority-majority districts, despite the fact that people of color made up 95% of the population growth. In Ohio, self-serving politicians ignored the voices of nearly 75% of Ohioans who voted in 2018 for a process to produce fair and bipartisan maps. Instead they drew partisan districts that don’t reflect the population and demographics of the state. And in North Carolina, Republican politicians drew Congressional districts where they could win nearly 80% of the seats in a state where they historically win roughly 50 percent of the vote.

Now is the moment to act. Every day without action is a wasted day that allows partisan Republicans and special interests to advance their power grab at the expense of the American people. There should be no end of year recess until we protect our democracy.