Submitted by Chip Evans
Voting Rights, the bedrock of our American democracy, are under attack.
GOP state legislators have proposed 389 bills to make voting harder for people of color, the elderly and students who don’t support their policies of white privilege and misogyny. Between Jan. 1 and May 14, 2021, at least 14 states enacted 22 new laws that restrict access to the vote.
Have you read these recent headlines?
- “Supreme Court says Arizona limits don’t violate Voting Rights Act”
- “Supreme Court invalidates California’s donor disclosure requirement”
- “Republicans Poised to Gerrymander Back to Majority”
GOP state legislators and courts aren’t proving to be champions of democracy. America needs federal laws to preserve and protect voting rights.
We are fortunate that Nevada’s legislators and governor have implemented voting rights best practices. But Nevadans can still suffer the consequences of voter restrictions in other states if they produce the intended result of electing unpopular GOP elected officials in Congress and the White House.
What to do? Support passage of the For the People Act, also known as S1 – a comprehensive bill that targets voter suppression, gerrymandering, money in politics, and more. The proposed law makes it easier to vote with automatic and same-day voter registration, expanded early voting, and even more significant voter protections.
It will make our democracy work for everyone, by limiting the role of big money in politics and ending gerrymandering so that voters can choose their elected officials, and NOT the other way around. The Act makes our democracy more just by rooting out corruption, blocking the revolving door between corporate lobbyists and the government and demanding transparency at all levels of government.
Every American deserves an equal voice in our government. We must save our democracy by working to pass the For the People Act.
Chip Evans is the co-founder of Indivisible Northern Nevada, a non-partisan grassroots volunteer organization with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and supply consistent, informed and ongoing pressure to our members of Congress. In 2021, INN is determined to strengthen our democracy by getting our voices into the public discussion.
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