In the News

Senate Rules Committee Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar and Rep. John Sarbanes again serve as the bill's chief sponsors. The legislation has been designated S.1 again in the Senate and H.R. 11 in the House, the highest bill number assigned to the House minority—signaling Democrats' commitment to its passage. This historic legislation passed the Democratic-led House in the last Congress. It came within two votes of passing in the Senate but, of course, we got Manchined.

Last week, Representative John Sarbanes (MD-3) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) introduced the Freedom to Vote Act into the 118th Congress. Having successfully passed the House of Representatives in both 2019 and 2021, this sweeping voting rights legislation is once again making its push through Congress with strong support by leadership in both the House and Senate, the help of pro-democracy organizations, and the voice of advocates like you.

Public interest groups joined Democratic lawmakers Thursday on the House Triangle to tout an election package and warn against what they say are threats to democracy from their Republican colleagues. Democrats are rallying support for their bicameral bill, known as the Freedom to Vote Act, which was reintroduced Tuesday. They say it would guard against practices like partisan gerrymandering and the influence of so-called dark money while expanding voting access to more Americans. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, House Administration Committee ranking member Joseph D.

In addition to the Freedom to Vote Act, Sewell said she plans to reintroduce the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in September. That bill would restore key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, parts of which were invalidated in a 2013 Supreme Court decision. The House version of the Freedom to Vote Act will be introduced by Rep. John Sarbanes of Maryland, who is co-chair of the U.S. House Task Force on Strengthening Democracy. It is unlikely to advance in the Republican-controlled House. “Make no mistake, Democrats are going to keep fighting,” Schumer said.

Congressional Democrats on Tuesday said they plan to again introduce a bill to set national voting standards in response to state legislatures passing strict voting laws. The bill, known as the Freedom to Vote Act, would establish national standards for early voting, mail-in ballots and protection of poll workers and volunteers from harassment. It provides funds for states to purchase updated voter machines and cybersecurity updates, among other initiatives.

The Freedom to Vote Act shores up the freedom to vote and strengthens American democracy. It sets baseline national standards to protect voting access and make it harder for partisans to manipulate elections. It creates new protections for election officials and workers, prohibits partisan gerrymandering, and blunts the problem of dark money. These and other key provisions all draw from best practices in the states. Legislation combining the Freedom to Vote Act with the equally necessary John R.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected an utterly deranged lawsuit that threatened the foundational American principle that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Moore v. Harper was the gravest threat to free and fair elections in the United States to arrive at the Court in decades. And, while Tuesday’s 6-3 decision leaves the door slightly ajar should a future Court wish to overturn a close election, it rejects more sweeping theories that could have rendered many American elections meaningless.

The Supreme Court on Monday lifted its hold on a Louisiana political remap case, increasing the likelihood that the Republican-dominated state will have to redraw boundary lines to create a second mostly Black congressional district. For more than a year, there has been a legal battle over the GOP-drawn political boundaries, with a federal judge, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards and opponents saying that the map is unfair and discriminates against Black voters.