GOP state lawmakers are continuing their massive assault on our voting rights across the country. And on July 1, the U.S. Supreme Court made it even easier for GOP attacks on our freedom to vote by upholding discriminatory voting policies. With the freedom to vote under assault, we need federal democracy reform legislation now more than ever.

But GOP lawmakers are continuing to abuse a Jim Crow era rule, the filibuster, to attack our freedom to vote and our democracy. We’re running out of time. We must ensure the Senate responds to the voting rights crisis before it’s too late.

We must demand the Senate pass once-in-a-generation landmark legislation to protect the freedom to vote and secure our democracy including the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act. These bills would strengthen voting rights and access, enhance campaign finance reform, and address government ethics to root out corruption in politics.

Republican senators filibustered the For the People Act earlier this year. Because we were unable to get a supermajority of 60 senators to agree to even debate the bill, it has stalled in the Senate.

For decades, the filibuster has been used to protect racist policies and block progress in the Senate, giving a minority of senators the ability to hold legislation hostage. And now we’ve circled back, with the GOP once again ignoring the voice of the people, especially disenfranchised voters, and using the filibuster to block legislation supported by a majority of Americans.

This has to be a HUGE wake up call for our Democratic senators, who have the opportunity to eliminate the filibuster once and for all. Democratic leaders who refuse to eliminate the filibuster are ignoring the outcry of the American people and our inalienable rights.

We must not continue to allow the filibuster to continue to block progress towards democracy, justice, and equity. Democrats have the majority in the Senate -- now they must eliminate the filibuster and use that majority to pass legislation that we all need and want.

1. Chung, Andrew. “U.S. Supreme Court gives states more leeway to restrict voting.” Reuters. July 2, 2021.
2. Kilgore, Ed. “What Would the John Lewis Voting Rights Act Actually Do?” Intelligencer. June 7, 2021.
3. Silverman, Ellie. “Democratic lawmakers rally in D.C. to demand the passage of voting rights legislation.” Washington Post. August 3, 2021.
4. Sprunt, Barbara. “Senate Republicans Block Democrats' Sweeping Voting Rights Legislation.” NPR. June 22, 2021.
5. Stevenson, W. Peter. “The filibuster, explained. Its meaning, history and why Democrats want to change it now.” Washington Post. June 24, 2021.
6. “67 Percent of Americans Support H.R.1 For the People Act.” Data for Progress. January 22, 2021.