Voting Rights

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi participates in a moderated conversation with California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom for a discussion on the women’s suffrage movement in California.

Voting rights are essential to who we are as Americans, to the cause of equality and to the strength of our democracy.  In Congress, we have a sacred responsibility to do everything in our power to remove obstacles to voting, to ensure every citizen has the right to vote and every vote is counted as cast.  

Yet, today, voting rights are under relentless attack.  The Supreme Court’s disastrous Shelby v. Holder decision unleashed an outrageous Republican campaign of voter suppression that is denying millions a voice, particularly in communities of color.  The vote is also under threat from hostile foreign interference and endangered by the coronavirus epidemic.  Despite these threats, Republicans in Congress have refused to safeguard our election systems, voting again and again against basic steps to protect this sacred democratic institution from assault.

In stark contrast, as one of our first acts in the 116th Congress, our Democratic Majority passed H.R. 1, the For The People Act, to protect the ballot.  To fully combat the assault on voting rights, we also passed H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which restores the Voting Rights Act: protecting access to the ballot box for all Americans and fighting the brazen Republican efforts to turn back the clock and erect barriers to voting for communities of color.  And amid the coronavirus crisis, Democrats fought to protect vote-by-mail and safe in-person voting options and to expand online and same-day voting registration. 

Working with the new Biden-Harris Administration and new Senate Democratic Majority, House Democrats will continue to fight to ensure that the public interest comes first in our democracy, not the special interests.  By doing so, we can make progress for every family and community, including safeguarding workers’ rights, increasing paychecks, lowering health care costs and prescription drug prices, raising wages by rebuilding America with green, modern infrastructure, and protecting our children’s clean air and clean water.

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