President Biden Must Push Congress to Pass Voting Rights Legislation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 11, 2022
CONTACT:
Fernanda Durand | (214) 402-0186 | fernanda@communicationsshop.us
Jackie Smith| (989) 576-1996 | jsmith@poderlatinx.org
President Biden Must Push Congress to Pass Voting Rights Legislation
Today, President Joe Biden visited Georgia to deliver a speech about his plans to push for action to protect Americans’ right to vote and ensure free and fair elections. This comes at a time when many states are implementing new voting restrictions that suppress Americans’ ability to vote and be heard. For Poder Latinx, an organization that is dedicated to building Latinx political power through year-round civic engagement, the voting rights issue is one of its utmost priorities. As states are taking action to suppress Americans’ right to vote, it is more important than ever for Congress to pass voting rights legislation and safeguard our democracy.
Yadira Sanchez, co-executive director of Poder Latinx, said the following statement:
“Voting rights legislation is paramount to safeguard democracy, constitutional rights, and racial equity and justice for the American people. The 2020 elections brought an unprecedented wave of voter suppression laws among 19 states, with several states applying gerrymandering tactics to obstruct the representation of minorities and marginalized communities. Without urgent action, more states are likely to follow. Georgia recently introduced new restrictions on absentee voting, added new ID provisions, and complicated the access to ballots. The state had limited the number of ballot boxes, cut the hours of operations, and reduced the timeframe to receive mail ballots, ultimately suppressing voters’ ability to access dropbox locations and deterring people from voting. These voting restrictions adversely and disproportionately affect the voting abilities of Latinxs and people of color, which will reverse our voting rights efforts over the past decades and enforce systematic inequality in our communities.
To ensure the protection of our constitutional rights, we need legislation that will protect our voting rights against discriminatory and suppressive voter laws. Democracy works best when more of us are able to participate- we need fair access to the ballot box. Voting rights legislation is critical for uplifting our voices and ensuring that our communities have fair and equal representation. However, the legislation faces opposition from most Republicans, therefore suggesting that changes to the Senate rules are essential to protect our voice and our democracy. This includes creating a thorough plan to pass the voting rights legislation that will curtail any attempts of derailing the process of signing the bill into law. All Americans must take action against voter suppression laws. Our democracy is at stake. Congress must protect our constitutional rights and pass the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Act.”
Visit us on online at www.poderlatinx.org
Poder Latinx’s mission is to build a political wave where Latinx communities, immigrants, and people of color are decision-makers in this country’s democracy.