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 f
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.
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
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, and I thank Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and her extraordinary quest, keeping her eye on the prize to make sure that the citizens she represents have full citizenship. I’m proud to stand with her in supporting statehood for the people of the District of Columbia…I want to thank Mayor Bowser with whom I have been proud to work [with] to move this issue forward, with the leadership of Delegate Holmes Norton. I made clear when we announced that the House would consider this bill today, the people who call our nation's capital home have been disenfranchised and shortchanged for too long. Martin Luther king said how long? Too long.
Thank you very much. I’m going to leave this mask on. This mask is about voting rights. This mask is about respect. This mask is about doing what our democracy demands: facilitating that everybody in America, every individual, every American citizen has the right to vote and to have their vote counted.
Yesterday, House Democrats announced that on Friday, June 26, the House will vote on H.R. 51 to designate the District of Columbia as a state and grant full representation to the over 700,000 Americans who live in the District. Here’s a look at what’s been said in the news:
The coronavirus outbreak has upended the routines of every American, forcing us to rethink how we live, work, and interact with one another. Ever resilient, our communities are adapting in innovative ways to ‘flatten the curve,’ save lives, and protect the livelihoods of our neighbors impacted by economic disruption.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.