Dear John,
The fight for voting rights is as old as our nation. From critical legislation like the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to amendments like the 24th Amendment to eliminate poll taxes, equal access to the ballot box has been a battle. And it’s a battle that we’re still fighting.
Will you join me in my fight for federal voting rights legislation to protect the right to vote?
Ten years ago today, I co-sponsored the Voter Empowerment Act which would ensure equal access to the ballot for every eligible voter, modernize our voter registration system to help more Americans participate, and help eliminate deceptive practices that deter voters from casting their ballots.
And since then, I’ve advocated for additional voting rights legislation with similar objectives: the For The People Act, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021, and the Freedom to Vote Act.
But none of these have managed to become law.
Even if the days of poll taxes, literacy tests, and brutal physical intimidation are behind us, disenfranchisement tactics that aim to suppress voter participation are alive and well.
As citizens of this great country, we are entrusted with a somber responsibility to exercise one of our most sacred constitutional rights: the right to choose our elected officials.
We must remember the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement: Inaction is complacency and complicity in the face of a wrong. Passing these bills is an act of conscience and courage to make things right.
We must do our due diligence to ensure that no voter is prevented from exercising their right to vote. Join me in calling on my colleagues to pass federal voting rights protections to defend our right to vote →
Thank you,
Congressman Sanford Bishop
