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Everyone Deserves the Freedom to Vote
Our country is facing a difficult moment, where it is important to reaffirm our commitment to the core principles of democracy, including representation, equality, and freedom. Legislation upholding our voting freedoms is necessary, but S1, the For the People Act, failed to pass earlier this year. This occurred despite the wide bipartisan support among voters for federal protection of voter rights. Republican senators refused to engage with S1, citing concerns that its scope was too broad. In response, Senate Democrats developed the Freedom to Vote Act (FTVA), initiated by Senator Manchin. The FTVA legislation contains three main divisions: voter access, election integrity, and civic participation and empowerment (which includes redistricting…
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Call to Action: Ask Your Senators to Engage in Discussion of the Freedom to Vote Act
Equality, freedom, and representation are central to the practice of democracy. To remain a democratic republic, the U.S. must protect the voting freedom of every eligible American, ensuring our ability to participate in free and fair elections. Among American voters, there is wide bipartisan support for federal protection of voter rights. Recognizing this, historically both the Republican and the Democratic parties have overwhelmingly supported the Voting Rights Act and its renewals. Unfortunately, since the November 2020 election many state legislatures have passed legislation to restrict access to the ballot. In all cases these have been strictly partisan initiatives. The Freedom to Vote Act (FTVA) is intended to provide much-needed reforms…
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HR1/S1 â the For the People Act: Campaign Finance Reforms
HR1/S1, the For the People Act, is a democracy reform bill that was reintroduced in the House of Representatives in early January 2021. It passed in early March and now awaits a vote in the Senate. These documents examine some of the important measures in this bill related to campaign finance reforms. To download the one-page highlights document, click here or on the image below under âHighlights.â To download the in-depth four-page document, click here or on one of the images below under âIn Depth.â Highlights In Depth
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HR1/S1 â the For the People Act: Ethics Reforms
HR1/S1, the For the People Act, is a democracy reform bill that was reintroduced in the House of Representatives in early January 2021. It passed in early March and now awaits a vote in the Senate. The bill is designed to improve access to voting for all citizens, decrease the harmful impact of big money in our democracy, and strengthen ethics rules and regulations. These documents examine some of the aspects of ethics reforms of HR1/S1. To download the one-page highlights document, click here or on the image below under âHighlights.â To download the in-depth four-page document, click here or on one of the images below under âIn Depth.â Highlights In Depth
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HR1/S1 â the For the People Act: Voting Reforms
HR1/S1, the For the People Act, is a democracy reform bill that was reintroduced in the House of Representatives in early January 2021. It passed in early March and now awaits a vote in the Senate. The bill is designed to improve access to voting for all citizens, decrease the harmful impact of big money in our democracy, and strengthen ethics rules and regulations. These documents examine some voting reform aspects of HR1/S1. To download the one-page highlights document, click here or on the image below under “Highlights.” To download the in-depth three-page document, click here or on one of the images below under “In Depth.” Highlights In Depth
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H.R.1 â the “For the People” Act
H.R.1, the For the People Act, is a democracy reform bill that was introduced and passed in the House of Representatives in 2019. It passed 234-193, with one Republican representative voting for it. The bill was never brought to debate nor vote by the Senate majority leader, causing it to fail by default in the Senate. On January 4, 2021, the bill was reintroduced to the House. Even though many of these reforms are bipartisan by nature and have significant public support, current political polarization will make it challenging to garner widespread bipartisan support in Congress. H.R.1 is an expansive bill that champions improved access to voting for all citizens,…
