Senate’s Vote on the Freedom To Vote Act Cannot Be the End

Image
A woman standing in the middle of the street holding a sign that says "Failure Is Not An Option".
Fair Elections for NY and New York organizations working on the Build Back Better package gathered at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, to urgently call on Senator Schumer, as the Majority Leader, to deliver on the host of critical issues facing our country, using every tool at his disposal to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and the infrastructure bill and reconciliation package that make up the Build Back Better agenda. Photo by Erik McGregor/Sipa USA/Alamy Live News

Congress needs to act to make the promise of democracy more real for us all by getting rid of deliberate barriers to voting, preventing partisan gerrymandering and stopping secret money — otherwise known as dark money — from pouring into our elections. American voters should feel that they have an equal voice in our political system.

On Oct. 20, 2021, the Senate took a vote on the Freedom to Vote Act, sweeping and transformative legislation that would address these issues and more. While the lack of bipartisan support for a Senate vote on the bill was not an enormous surprise, it was still disappointing to see this reaction to the most significant voting rights bill in a generation. 

However, the work to pass legislation to protect our freedom to vote continues. Inaction is not an option, and leaders in Congress have reiterated that many times. Politicians in states across the country are working to divide us and silence our voices, and secret spending continues to engender more corruption and less accountability.

Seven-in-10 Americans support the Freedom to Vote Act because they want their voice to matter in our political system, and they are tired of waiting on Congress to act on solutions that are widely popular.

The latest vote cannot be the end  – in order to ensure that democracy is working for all Americans, Congress should pass the Freedom to Vote Act.

Georgia is a Communications Assistant at CLC.
Creating a Democracy That Works Better for Us All