Today, congressional leaders reintroduced critical voting rights legislation. Cliff Albright, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Black Voters Matter, attended the announcement alongside civil rights advocates from several organizations including the League of Women Voters and Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
“The re-introduction of the Freedom to Vote Act is essential to overcoming the obstacles of new voter suppression laws we see taking shape every day in states like Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Georgia. In addition to the wave of voter suppression laws seen in 2021 and 2022, this year has seen hundreds of additional voter suppression bills attempted, and at least 11 states have passed such restrictions.”
“Just yesterday, lawmakers in Alabama voted to advance a new congressional map that does not include a second majority-Black district, completely ignoring the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling that mandates the state’s maps must include this majority-Black district. The fight for our rights is playing out on the state level and continues to permeate our daily lives in the South. That is why national legislation that is pro-voter and anti-corruption is absolutely necessary at this moment in history.”
“If passed, the bill would not only establish Election Day as a federal holiday but would also expand voter registration, require a minimum number of early-voting days and other voting access, limit the ability to remove individuals from voter rolls, protect against racial gerrymandering, and improve campaign finance transparency. This legislation would drastically improve voter access and power, especially for Black voters in southern states without since protections.”
“Meanwhile, we stand in strong opposition to the Republican-sponsored ‘American Confidence in Elections’ (ACE) Act which simply seeks to nationalize state-level attacks on voting rights.”
“Black Voters Matter was extremely active in leading the call for voting rights legislation throughout 2021, culminating in the historic January 2022 vote on legislation that failed to overcome the filibuster. We will continue to push for voting rights legislation, including the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act when it is reintroduced this fall.”
