President Biden Must Do More to Advance Voting Rights Legislation

Voting Rights News, Voting Rights Resources 07.22,21

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kiren Marshall, [email protected], 202.780.9835

WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and other civil rights organizations today urged President Biden and Vice President Harris to do even more to advance the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and the Washington, D.C. Admissions Act. While thanking them for their clear efforts in support of voting rights, the organizations urged them to take even further action, writing, “Nothing can serve as a substitute for your direct engagement and leadership in efforts to secure the passage of these critical voting rights bills.”

In the urgent call-to-action, the organizations raised the alarm on the surge of state legislation this year restricting access to the right to vote and warned that multiple states have already implemented harmful anti-voter measures to make voting more difficult. “Voters of color will bear the brunt of these new restrictions, in what amounts to the most significant assault on voting rights since the Jim Crow era,” wrote the organizations.

Warning of further serious threats on the horizon, including the upcoming redistricting cycle that is expected to bring another round of extreme gerrymandering disproportionately targeting voters of color, the organizations said, “Congress has the power and duty to stop this anti-democratic and discriminatory assault on Americans’ voting rights. Indeed, only federal legislation can ensure that our elections are safe and free and fully protect the franchise.”

“Every American deserves and should be able to rely on having a baseline level of voting access, free from efforts to block their path to the voting booth or dilute or nullify their votes,” continued the organizations, which also push in the letter for D.C. statehood and securing the franchise for District residents. “Only passage of both the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act can make this aspiration a reality. We urge you to work closely with Congress to support the passage of these bills by whatever means necessary.”

The full letter to President Biden is available here.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.