YOU Can Take Action On Voting Rights
Beto O'Rourke was interviewed on MSNBC and made a compelling case for the need for urgent action on voting rights. The GOP passing voter suppression bills because they lost in 2020 isn't a first, nor will it be the last time. Republicans are out of policy ideas and move to obstruction, a tactic that has not bolstered their base among voters of color. By 2045, white voters will most certainly be in a minority. Younger voters lean heavily Democratic, and the right's perversion of religion to justify hate against the LGBTQ and Muslim communities, among others, has caused an allergic reaction that isolates older Southern white voters from many other people.
Trying to blunt this shifting dynamic is the GOP's solution, not adjusting their platform in the slightest to include popular ideas like marijuana legalization, universal background checks, and tax cuts for middle class Americans. In 2013, the Supreme Court significantly weakened the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and, as bills seek to specifically gerrymander and disadvantage black and brown communities in red states across the nation, the federal government has an obligation to act.
Voting is the most fundamental right in a democracy, and that is why the For The People Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Act need to be priorities. Chuck Schumer wants to hold votes this week on the former bill (the latter will be introduced in September; a bill to make Washington, D.C. the 51st state has also passed the House), and we need to make this month the defining moment for fair elections. Lyndon B. Johnson acted on voting after John Lewis marched, and we owe it to the civil rights icon's legacy to live up to this moment. O'Rourke's fellow Texas Democrats led a walkout to prevent the passage of a Jim Crow law in Texas; now is a time for courage and zeal. Below are some organizations that can guide you to take action locally:
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