In advance of the US House vote on the House amendment to the Senate amendment to HR 5746, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, LWVUS sent a memo urging all Representatives to vote in favor of the legislation and move it to the Senate for immediate consideration and debate.
January 13, 2022
To: Members of the US House of Representatives
From: Virginia Kase Solomón, CEO League of Women Voters
Re: Vote Yes on HR 5746, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act
Dear Representative,
The League of Women Voters of the United States writes in strong support of the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 5746, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. This legislation is critical to the protection of our democracy. We must ensure that voters can safely and freely cast their ballots, stop partisan gerrymandering, and limit the influence of dark money in politics so that billionaires cannot buy elections.
Our country remains in the middle of a desperate fight for voting rights. State legislatures around the country have introduced hundreds of bills designed to create barriers and prevent Black, brown, indigenous, and other voters from casting their ballots. In 2021, nineteen states enacted 34 voter suppression laws, and we know more will go into effect in the months ahead.
Right now, redistricting processes across the country are underway. This is the first redistricting cycle without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act. Voters are not just at risk of losing their freedom to vote, but they stand to lose representation in the US Congress and in state legislatures. Critical legislation like the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act are urgently needed to override these voter suppression measures, prevent such laws from taking effect in the future, and protecting representation in communities across the country.
Our organization fully endorses this bill and urges you to cast your vote in favor of this legislation.
Sincerely,
Virginia Kase Solomón
CEO, League of Women Voters of the United States