CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and 28 Senate colleagues to introduce a resolution recognizing September as “National Voting Rights Month.” Along with Wyden, U.S. Representative Marc Veasey (D-TX-33) led the bicameral effort.
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“Republicans and right-wing ideologues are dead set on making it more difficult for Americans to vote nationwide. They’re gerrymandering Congressional maps, rolling back voting protections, and opposing commonsense measures like automatic voter registration, polling site closure prevention, and early and mail-in voting,” said Durbin. “Declaring September as National Voting Rights Month sends a message to all Americans that Congress must act to protect and restore voting rights for all. I will keep fighting to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to further protect the fundamental right to vote.”
“Voting is a fundamental pillar of our democracy, and our democracy is stronger when every voice is heard,” said Duckworth. “As Republicans continue trying to build unnecessary barriers to prevent people from exercising their right to vote, recognizing September as National Voting Rights Month with this resolution reaffirms Democrats’ commitment to protecting voting rights all Americans.”
“The right to vote is the backbone of American democracy - this right is under attack by MAGA Republicans who seek to disenfranchise voters,”said Wyden. “Congressman Veasey and I want to make it loud and clear that preserving access to the ballot box and ensuring all Americans have a voice in our democracy must be a priority.”
“Today, I am proud to join Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) to reintroduce our bicameral resolution marking September as National Voting Rights Month to underscore our work to ensure every American can exercise their essential right to vote,” said Veasey. “As co-founder of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, I will continue to use every tool I can to raise awareness of the critical issue of voter suppression and continue to urge my colleagues in Congress to pass legislation that restore the Voting Rights Act.”
The resolution will encourage voter registration in the month of September and push Congress to preserve the right to vote. Last Congress, Durbin led bipartisan negotiations on the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act with U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Joe Manchin (D-WV), which would modernize and revitalize the Voting Rights Act. Senate Republicans blocked the bill from passage on the Senate floor.
Earlier this month, Durbin and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) applauded a federal district court’s ruling striking down Alabama Republicans’ latest attempt at a redrawn congressional map for violating federal civil rights law and diluting the power of Black voters. The redrawn map comes after the Supreme Court struck an earlier version drawn by Alabama Republicans, which the Supreme Court held violated the Voting Rights Act.
The text of the resolution is available here.
In addition to Durbin and Wyden, the Senate resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Chris Coons (D-DE), Peter Welch (D-VT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), John Fetterman (D-PA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Warner (D-VA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Ben Cardin (D-MD).
This resolution has been endorsed by End Citizens United, We Defend the Vote, and Stand Up America.
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