
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) speaks to the media ahead of the House voting on the H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, on December 6, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
With Support of Just One Republican, House Passes 'Historic' Bill to Restore and Expand Voting Rights
"Brings us one step closer to restoring the Voting Rights Act."
Just one Republican--Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania--joined a united House Democratic caucus on Friday to pass what rights groups hailed as "historic" legislation to restore and expand voter protections that were gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013.
Lisa Gilbert, vice president of legislative affairs for Public Citizen, said passage of the Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4) is a "critical step" in combating Republican voter suppression efforts that have proliferated in the six years since the Supreme Court's infamous decision in Shelby County v. Holder.
"Numerous state legislatures have undertaken targeted and deliberate steps to limit or impede the right to vote for communities of color, students, the elderly, and people with disabilities," said Gilbert. "Americans who are eligible to vote but are denied that right due to fabricated or illegal barriers are being deprived of the full privilege of our democracy."
\u201cBREAKING: The House just passed #HR4, one of the most important bills to emerge during this Congress. As voter suppression continues to spread across the US, this bill would breathe life back into the Voting Rights Act. A win for the people & a win for democracy! #RestoreTheVote\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1575655023
\u201cBREAKING: @RepBrianFitz is the one and only House Republican that believes in voting rights.\u201d— Public Citizen (@Public Citizen) 1575659832
"If we want a true democracy, we must protect the right to vote for all," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. "The Voting Rights Advancement Act is critical to getting there."
The legislation now heads to the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has refused to allow a vote on Democrats' For the People Act (H.R. 1), to which the Voting Rights Advancement Act was previously attached.
"To Majority Leader McConnell, we ask: why are you afraid of all Americans having their full right to vote?" Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections at Common Cause, said in a statement.
As Ari Berman of Mother Jones reported, H.R. 4--sponsored by Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.)--would "initially cover 11 states: nine in the South, plus California and New York, which have more recently been found to discriminate against Latinos and Asian Americans."
"The bill would also require all states to get federal approval for election changes that are known to disproportionately affect voters of color, such as strict voter ID laws, tighter voter registration requirements, and polling place closures in areas with large numbers of minority voters," Berman noted.
Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, applauded the House for passing H.R. 4 and demanded that McConnell bring the bill up for a vote in the Senate as soon as possible.
"The passage of H.R. 4 in the House of Representatives today brings us one step closer to restoring the Voting Rights Act and undoing the tremendous damage of Shelby," Gupta said in a statement. "The VRAA is too important--and the right to vote is too fundamental--to end up buried in the McConnell legislative graveyard."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just days away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Just one Republican--Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania--joined a united House Democratic caucus on Friday to pass what rights groups hailed as "historic" legislation to restore and expand voter protections that were gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013.
Lisa Gilbert, vice president of legislative affairs for Public Citizen, said passage of the Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4) is a "critical step" in combating Republican voter suppression efforts that have proliferated in the six years since the Supreme Court's infamous decision in Shelby County v. Holder.
"Numerous state legislatures have undertaken targeted and deliberate steps to limit or impede the right to vote for communities of color, students, the elderly, and people with disabilities," said Gilbert. "Americans who are eligible to vote but are denied that right due to fabricated or illegal barriers are being deprived of the full privilege of our democracy."
\u201cBREAKING: The House just passed #HR4, one of the most important bills to emerge during this Congress. As voter suppression continues to spread across the US, this bill would breathe life back into the Voting Rights Act. A win for the people & a win for democracy! #RestoreTheVote\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1575655023
\u201cBREAKING: @RepBrianFitz is the one and only House Republican that believes in voting rights.\u201d— Public Citizen (@Public Citizen) 1575659832
"If we want a true democracy, we must protect the right to vote for all," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. "The Voting Rights Advancement Act is critical to getting there."
The legislation now heads to the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has refused to allow a vote on Democrats' For the People Act (H.R. 1), to which the Voting Rights Advancement Act was previously attached.
"To Majority Leader McConnell, we ask: why are you afraid of all Americans having their full right to vote?" Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections at Common Cause, said in a statement.
As Ari Berman of Mother Jones reported, H.R. 4--sponsored by Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.)--would "initially cover 11 states: nine in the South, plus California and New York, which have more recently been found to discriminate against Latinos and Asian Americans."
"The bill would also require all states to get federal approval for election changes that are known to disproportionately affect voters of color, such as strict voter ID laws, tighter voter registration requirements, and polling place closures in areas with large numbers of minority voters," Berman noted.
Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, applauded the House for passing H.R. 4 and demanded that McConnell bring the bill up for a vote in the Senate as soon as possible.
"The passage of H.R. 4 in the House of Representatives today brings us one step closer to restoring the Voting Rights Act and undoing the tremendous damage of Shelby," Gupta said in a statement. "The VRAA is too important--and the right to vote is too fundamental--to end up buried in the McConnell legislative graveyard."
Just one Republican--Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania--joined a united House Democratic caucus on Friday to pass what rights groups hailed as "historic" legislation to restore and expand voter protections that were gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013.
Lisa Gilbert, vice president of legislative affairs for Public Citizen, said passage of the Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4) is a "critical step" in combating Republican voter suppression efforts that have proliferated in the six years since the Supreme Court's infamous decision in Shelby County v. Holder.
"Numerous state legislatures have undertaken targeted and deliberate steps to limit or impede the right to vote for communities of color, students, the elderly, and people with disabilities," said Gilbert. "Americans who are eligible to vote but are denied that right due to fabricated or illegal barriers are being deprived of the full privilege of our democracy."
\u201cBREAKING: The House just passed #HR4, one of the most important bills to emerge during this Congress. As voter suppression continues to spread across the US, this bill would breathe life back into the Voting Rights Act. A win for the people & a win for democracy! #RestoreTheVote\u201d— Kristen Clarke (@Kristen Clarke) 1575655023
\u201cBREAKING: @RepBrianFitz is the one and only House Republican that believes in voting rights.\u201d— Public Citizen (@Public Citizen) 1575659832
"If we want a true democracy, we must protect the right to vote for all," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. "The Voting Rights Advancement Act is critical to getting there."
The legislation now heads to the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has refused to allow a vote on Democrats' For the People Act (H.R. 1), to which the Voting Rights Advancement Act was previously attached.
"To Majority Leader McConnell, we ask: why are you afraid of all Americans having their full right to vote?" Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections at Common Cause, said in a statement.
As Ari Berman of Mother Jones reported, H.R. 4--sponsored by Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.)--would "initially cover 11 states: nine in the South, plus California and New York, which have more recently been found to discriminate against Latinos and Asian Americans."
"The bill would also require all states to get federal approval for election changes that are known to disproportionately affect voters of color, such as strict voter ID laws, tighter voter registration requirements, and polling place closures in areas with large numbers of minority voters," Berman noted.
Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, applauded the House for passing H.R. 4 and demanded that McConnell bring the bill up for a vote in the Senate as soon as possible.
"The passage of H.R. 4 in the House of Representatives today brings us one step closer to restoring the Voting Rights Act and undoing the tremendous damage of Shelby," Gupta said in a statement. "The VRAA is too important--and the right to vote is too fundamental--to end up buried in the McConnell legislative graveyard."