National Call-in Day: Tell the Senate to pass the For the People Act

153 years ago today the US Congress ratified the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, granting full citizenship and equal protection of the laws to formerly enslaved persons. It also clarified that “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” Despite this constitutional mandate, in 2021, we are still fighting against state efforts to suppress the fundamental right to vote for millions of citizens.  The For the People Act (H.R. 1/ S. 1) is a transformational democracy reform package that would  "expand Americans' access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, strengthen ethics rules for public servants, and implement other anti-corruption measures for the purpose of fortifying our democracy, and for other purposes."  This comprehensive bill would make the guarantees of the 14th Amendment real by setting baseline standards for access to the ballot for all citizens, no matter in which state they live. However, S.1 has been blocked by the filibuster, a Senate rule that has consistently been used to block progressive legislation. There is still time to pass this bill, but we need our elected leaders to stop prioritizing this Senate procedural rule over protecting the foundational right of citizens to vote. Call your Senators to tell them that this basic right is non-negotiable. They should not leave for recess without finding a path to passing the For the People Act and protecting this right for all citizens. Call your Senators today at 1-888-885-1748!   Sample script: “I am deeply concerned about the state laws that are passing around the nation to restrict citizens’ voting rights. As a person of faith, this is a moral issue that is foundational to the health of our democracy: the vote represents the dignity of each person. When we infringe upon the voting right of one individual, we threaten our democracy, we compromise the promise. The only way these state laws can be overcome is by passing the For the People Act (S.1) which would establish federal rules to protect the sacred right to vote and supersede those anti-voter laws. Passing the For the People Act needs to be a top priority for Congress.  Will Senator __________________ do whatever it takes—including delay recess and confront the filibuster rule head-on—to pass the For the People Act?”