Voting Rights

Voting Rights
Every election, Americans head to the polls to exercise their most fundamental right – the right to vote. Unfortunately, Republicans at the state and federal levels have engaged in an unprecedented attack on voting rights and our democracy, and embraced false conspiracy theories that undermine public confidence in our voting systems.
Every election, Americans head to the polls to exercise their most fundamental right – the right to vote. Unfortunately, Republicans at the state and federal levels have engaged in an unprecedented attack on voting rights and our democracy, and embraced false conspiracy theories that undermine public confidence in our voting systems.

In the 117th Congress, Democrats passed H.R. 1, the For The People Act, which would promote government transparency, strengthen access to the ballot box, secure election infrastructure, and curb the influence of dark money in politics. The House also passed H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021, which would reauthorize key portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were struck down in the Supreme Court’s flawed Shelby County v. Holder and Brnovich v. DNC decisions. In addition, the House passed H.R. 5746, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, which would set basic nationwide standards for how elections are conducted and take action to end partisan gerrymandering. Senate Republicans shamefully continue to obstruct these vital pieces of civil rights legislation and attack our democracy.
Democrats will continue to protect our democracy, advance the cause of voting rights, and expand access to the ballot box. We will fight to ensure that misleading information does not deter Americans from participating in our democracy and having confidence in the results of our free and fair elections.
Voting Rights Related
The 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court to deny tens of thousands of Wisconsinites the chance to participate in today’s primary election is an outrageous example of voter suppression.
4/7/20
Thank you very much Chair [Carolyn] Maloney and Congresswoman [Eleanor Holmes] Norton. Thank you very much for your leadership, your tenacity, and your focus, and your impetus to this particular piece of legislation.
2/11/20
The President campaigned on numerous promises to the American people, and four years into his presidency, he is letting the American people down on pledge after pledge. Ahead of tonight’s State of the Union Address, here’s a look at what the President promised he would deliver to the American people and how he has fallen short with policies that put the wealthiest ahead of working families:
2/4/20
Madam Chair, thank you very much. Madam Mayor, Chairman [Phil] Mendelson, and others who are here at the table, thank you very much for your presence. I want to thank the Chairman Cummings and Ranking Member Jordan and certainly [Congresswoman] Eleanor Holmes Norton, my colleague and very close friend who has been a champion of this for her entire life as well as her career in Congress of the United States.  
9/20/19
Sunday marked 200 days of a Democratic Majority in the House of Representatives, and in that time, Democrats have made significant progress on behalf of the American people. Democrats have spent the past 200 days advancing our For the People agenda: taking action to lower health care costs and the price of prescription drugs, raise wages, and clean up corruption. Take a look at how Democrats have made progress For the People: 
 
7/24/19
This week, the House continued its work to fund the government. We have now passed ten of the twelve appropriations bills for the Fiscal Year 2020, which fund 96% of the government.
6/28/19
I was proud to bring the SAFE Act to the Floor today, and now that the House has passed it, I urge the Senate to do the same.  As we look ahead to the 2020 federal election, Congress and the Administration have a responsibility to ensure that every American’s right to vote will be protected and that our voting systems are safe from foreign cyberattacks. 
6/27/19
Today’s Supreme Court decision only further highlights the need for national, comprehensive redistricting reform.
6/27/19
Yesterday, the Democratic-led House joined an amicus brief in support of residents of the District of Columbia seeking recognition of their fundamental right to Congressional representation.
6/11/19
[Justice] Ruth Bader Ginsberg in the Shelby v. Holder case said that the Majority’s opinion was like having an umbrella, and because they weren’t getting wet, they took it down.
2/26/19
I am glad that the Senate has finally confirmed the remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), enabling it to carry out its critical work at full capacity.
1/4/19
Well, Tiffany, thank you very, very much for all you’ve done and your leadership of End Citizens United and End Citizens United Action Fund, which has made such a real difference in heightening consciousness about the need to deal with the culture of corruption that has existed here in Washington and the dark money that has so undermined our politics.
12/6/18
The right to vote is the foundation of our system of democratic government, and on National Voter Registration Day I urge every American to exercise that right.
9/25/18
Wanted to be sure you saw this op-ed by Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) in The Hill today.  In light of the latest warnings of foreign interference in the midterms, Whip Hoyer calls on the Republican-led Congress to take action now to protect our elections and provide states with the necessary resources to secure their election infrastructure.  To read the op-ed, click here or see below:

THE HILL

8/7/18
A century and a half ago, after the great struggle to end the evil of slavery, Congress and the states ratified the Fourteenth Amendment, enshrining into our Constitution the principle that all Americans are entitled to equal protection under our laws.
7/9/18
I am very disappointed by today’s ruling in Husted v. APRI.
6/11/18
Earlier this week, at an election security forum hosted by Committee on House Administration member Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and special guest Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), members of the public heard from election security experts and public officials about the safety of our election infrastructure headed into the 2018 midterm elections.
5/24/18
Americans deserve to have a government that works for them, one that is transparent and trustworthy, one that can be a force for good in their lives.
5/21/18
On Sunday, we mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the enactment of the National Voter Registration Act, of which I was proud to be an original cosponsor. 
5/18/18
Following their visit to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland yesterday, Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) and Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08), announced plans for a public forum on election security in Rockville, Maryland on May 22nd. Raskin serves on the Committee on House Administration, which oversees the EAC.
5/11/18
Wanted to be sure you saw this op-ed by Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) and Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17) that will run in tomorrow's Baltimore Sun.
4/2/18
This report could not have come at a more important time.  With Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats’s testimony in the Senate yesterday that Russia intends to target the 2018 midterm elections, it is imperative that Congress take steps not only to identify vulnerabilities in voting systems but address them. 
2/14/18
This commission to suppress the vote should never have been created in the first place. It found no fraud because there had been no fraud, and it should not be revived by the Department of Homeland Security.
1/4/18

This past weekend, hackers gathered in Las Vegas with a simple mission: break into America’s electronic voting machines and take control.  Within minutes, some had already succeeded – but that’s a good thing. 

8/2/17