Today, Common Cause is urging every member of the United States Senate and House of Representatives to support the Freedom to Vote Act (S. 1/H.R.11), a transformational pro-voter, anti-corruption bill, and to oppose the House’s anti-voter “American Confidence in Elections” (ACE) Act. In a letter to the full Senate and House, Common Cause emphasized that the Freedom to Vote Act will strengthen Americans’ freedom to make their voices heard at the polls, end partisan gerrymandering, combat dangerous election sabotage efforts, and help to curb the undue influence of secret money in our elections.

“Americans expect and deserve a democracy where every one of us has an equal say in the future for our family and community, regardless of our political party, background, or zip code,” said Marilyn Carpinteyro, Common Cause Interim Co-President. “The Freedom to Vote Act will help ensure that ‘we the people’ determine the course of the nation instead of the billionaires, special interests and politicians who are pushing legislation to put up barriers to voting and silence the voices of everyday Americans.”

The letter emphasizes that the Freedom to Vote Act will:

• Respond directly to new laws around the country aimed squarely at making it harder for people to vote—which will disproportionately impact communities of color—by setting basic, commonsense nationwide standards for access to the ballot box like early voting, automatic voter registration, and vote-by-mail for all who want it.
• Protect the integrity of our elections by adding new safeguards against election sabotage, such as partisan efforts to remove local election administrators and harassment of poll workers.
• Ban the undemocratic practice of partisan gerrymandering.
• Break the grip of special interests in our elections by shining a light on secret political spending and getting big money out of politics.

The Freedom to Vote Act, incorporates significant feedback from state and local election officials, to ensure that every American can make their voice heard at the polls. Common Cause also supports the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to repair and strengthen the Voting Rights Act, which we anticipate will be re-introduced later this Congress.

The letter points to the stark contrast between the Freedom to Vote Act and the recently-introduced ACE Act, which would restrict access to voting for millions of Americans to vote (particularly Black and Brown Americans), allows still more big (and often secret) money into politics, and further restricts the rights of the residents of the District of Columbia to equal representation.

Cause commune testified against a previous version of the ACE Act before the Committee on House Administration earlier this year.

Common Cause thanks Leader Schumer and Leader Jeffries; Senators Klobuchar, Kaine, and Warnock; and Representatives Morelle, Sarbanes and Sewell for their leadership in reintroducing the Freedom to Vote Act.

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