Freedom to Vote Act: ‘Congress must act now’

The Jan. 6 insurrection and multiple states passing voter suppression and election subversion laws show that United States democracy is under attack. The only means available to fight back is for Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act. It is an emergency — without passage, our democracy will not survive past 2024.

The act will make partisan gerrymandering illegal, shine a light on the dark money that is corrupting our political system, protect election workers and voters from partisan intimidation, make election day a holiday, and create national standards for voter registration, voter ID, voting by mail and early voting. With these protections in place, the right to vote will be preserved across the country, special interests will have less influence on Congress and voters will be able to choose their politicians instead of politicians choosing their voters.

Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell; Reps. Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith and Marilyn Strickland: Congress must act now to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, before it is too late.

Jon DeVaan, Seattle, board co-chair of the nonpartisan democracy reform organization Represent Us