Trevor Potter, president of Campaign Legal Center (CLC), and a Republican Former Chairman of the Federal Election Commission, released the below statement ahead of Senate debate of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act:

"I, like many of you, am anxious to see what will happen on the Senate floor starting today. With the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act (H.R. 5746), the U.S. Senate has an opportunity to require a strong, free and fair voting system in this country and ensure the ability for every American to participate in safe, accessible and transparent elections.

In the year since the 2020 elections, which saw record-breaking voter turnout, numerous states across our country have responded to that turnout by passing new laws designed to make it harder for some citizens to vote.

In response, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act has been crafted to implement crucial measures aimed at strengthening our democracy. It aims to achieve goals that have long had bipartisan support and are viewed favorably by a majority of Americans. These goals include prohibiting gerrymandering, increasing disclosure of money spent in federal elections, protecting the freedom to vote and fighting election sabotage by protecting the independence of election officials.

These basic improvements to our election system should never have become partisan issues. But in the Senate, with the chamber’s current structure, that is what they have become.

It is so critically important that the Senate begin debate on H.R. 5746 this afternoon. It is also crucial that Senators take the time to publicly discuss and debate this bill that such a significant topic requires. For far too long, these measures have languished due to obstruction by political actors who ignore the calls of their constituents as they adhere to other loyalties.

What this bill deserves and what the American people deserve is a full and honest debate on the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act."

Trevor Potter, president of Campaign Legal Center (CLC), and a Republican Former Chairman of the Federal Election Commission, released the below statement following the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act (H.R. 5746):

“As the 2022 midterms rapidly approach, Congress is doing what needs to be done to advance legislation protecting the freedom to vote. Protecting our democracy is not a partisan issue. 

The U.S. Senate now has the opportunity to restore a strong, free and fair voting system in this country and ensure the ability for every American to participate in safe, accessible and transparent elections. This bill contains crucial measures to strengthen our democracy — to prohibit gerrymandering, disclose money spent in federal elections, protect the freedom to vote and fight election sabotage by strengthening protections for the independence of election officials. These should not be partisan issues.

This legislation not only addresses recently enacted threats to our democratic institutions but addresses concerns that have long been problematic. It is imperative that it pass.” 

Trevor Potter, president of Campaign Legal Center (CLC), and a Republican Former Chairman of the Federal Election Commission, released the following statement:

“One year ago today, we witnessed a substantial attack on a cornerstone of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power. Last January 6 illustrated a democracy in crisis: a violent attack on Congress while it was counting the Electoral College votes, and an attack by many Republican members of Congress on the right of voters in the states to elect the President through their Electoral College choices.

In response to the record turnout in 2020, a number of states have passed new laws designed to make it harder to vote, particularly targeting the ability to vote absentee, something that a huge number of Americans did in 2020. In response to these state attempts to limit voting, several promising voting rights bills have passed the House. However, the Senate has not been able to begin debate—let alone pass—even a single piece of legislation to strengthen our democracy and protect fair and free elections.

This is because the chamber’s filibuster rules have been abused in order to prevent even starting a debate on these most-needed voting rights measures. If that does not change now (and there is no sign yet that it will) then modifying the filibuster rules to bypass the continued obstruction of these pro-voter measures will be the only way to pass meaningful democracy legislation such as the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

The Senate has changed the filibuster rules frequently in the last decades, and now may be the time to do so again. These two bills are based on ideas that have long had bipartisan support at both the federal and state levels. The bills promote the freedom to vote, ensure fairness in redistricting and curb secret political spending, also known as dark money. They represent the will of the people—as public opinion poll after public opinion poll shows without question that voters support national standards protecting the freedom to vote.

There are other key bills that must also pass. These include  The Protecting Our Democracy Act (which would create and strengthen guardrails preventing the abuse of executive power and restore Congress as a meaningful check on executive authority) which has passed the House and is awaiting a Senate vote. Additionally, legislation to update the Electoral Count Act, which regulates the counting of the votes for President and Vice-President, is a necessity before the next election. However, these proposals are not a substitute for the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act currently before the Senate. All of these measures are needed to protect our political system and preserve our democracy for generations to come.”