#John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

[ivygorgon]

An open letter to the U.S. House of Representatives

Vote NO on the SAVE Act!

8,228 so far! Help us get to 10,000 signers!

I am writing to express my strong opposition to H.R. 22, the so-called “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility” (SAVE) Act. While this bill is framed as a measure to combat voter fraud, it is, in reality, a voter suppression effort that creates unnecessary barriers to voting and disenfranchises millions of Americans.

The SAVE Act would require voters to present narrow forms of “documentary proof of citizenship,” such as a passport or birth certificate, to participate in federal elections. This would disproportionately harm:

- Up to 150 million Americans who do not have a passport.

- Approximately 69 million women citizens who do not have a birth certificate with their current legal name on it.

- Elderly Americans, who are the least likely to hold passports.

Additionally, in 7 states, less than one-third of citizens have a valid passport – Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and West Virginia.

The SAVE Act is a solution in search of a problem. Worse, it would erode the fundamental right to vote, silencing the voices of vulnerable communities under the guise of election security. Rather than advancing harmful legislation like the SAVE Act, Congress should focus on protecting and expanding voting rights by supporting measures such as the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

One of the foundational values of our democracy is the idea that every person is entitled to a vote – a say in the direction of our nation. I urge you and your colleagues to work towards that founding ideal. Thanks.

▶ Created on February 6 by Jess Craven · 8,228 signers in the past 7 days

📱 Text SIGN PKFOYU to 50409 to sign!

🤯 Text FOLLOW JESSCRAVEN101 to 50409

[ivygorgon]

📨 An open letter to the U.S. House of Representatives

🚫 Vote NO on the SAVE Act!

✍️ 8,228 so far! Help us get to 10,000 signers!

This letter urges the House to reject H.R. 22, the "SAVE Act," arguing that it is a voter suppression bill disguised as election security. It highlights how requiring passports or birth certificates to vote would disproportionately disenfranchise millions, including women, elderly citizens, and those in states with low passport rates. Instead of restricting voting rights, the letter calls for strengthening democracy through the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

📱 Text SIGN PKFOYU to 50409 to sign!

🤯 Text FOLLOW JESSCRAVEN101 to 50409

Took this from Instagram because this is urgent US folks.

You need to call and email your reps no matter if you live in a red or blue state. This cannot be allowed to pass.

It will prevent anyone who has ever changed their name from voting (including their last name)

[ravnlghtft]

Legislation fights back against voter suppression, updates and restores critical safeguards of the original Voting Rights Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and her colleagues introduced the John R. Lewis Voting Advancement Act, legislation to stop state voter suppression efforts, safeguard critical voting rights protections, and restore and enhance the Voting Rights Act.

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s damaging Shelby County decision in 2013—which crippled the federal government’s ability under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to prevent discriminatory changes to voting laws and procedures—states across the country have unleashed a torrent of voter suppression schemes that have systematically disenfranchised tens of thousands of American voters. The Supreme Court’s decision in Brnovich delivered yet another blow to the Voting Rights Act, by making it significantly harder for plaintiffs to win lawsuits under the landmark law against discriminatory voting laws or procedures.

“The right to access the ballot box and have your voice heard is foundational to how our democracy and country works. Unfortunately, we have seen targeted attacks on this right in Wisconsin and across the country, and we need to put an end to it,” said Senator Baldwin. “Our bill honors the legacy of the late Congressman John Lewis and continues his work by curbing voter suppression, protecting Americans’ right to the ballot box, and ensuring the power is in the hands of the people.”

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is endorsed by hundreds of organizations, including the following leading civil rights organizations: Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, American Civil Liberties Union, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), MALDEF, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, and Demos.

The legislation is led by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

[pintadorartist]

Call The HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES to REJECT the SAVE ACT

TLDR: Bill US HR8281, the SAVE Act, is a bill that would require anyone registering to vote in federal elections to provide proof of citizenship, and if passed, could disenfranchise numerous eligible voters who can’t provide the proper documentation when filling out voter registration forms.

While last year it was killed under the Biden Administration and the Democrat-controlled Senate, Republicans this year now have control of the Hosue, Senate, and the Presidency (Although with a slim majority); there are plans by House Speaker Mike Johnson to reintroduce the SAVE act again

However, a specific date hasn't been selected, but I ask that you take some time to tell your Representatives and House leaders to vote no on the SAVE act.

CALL TOOLS:

Fax:

Find your rep:

Use the HOUSE.GOV website by going on there, entering your zip code, and you will find your rep's profile with a link to their website; then, you should be able to see their contact info; I recommend that you call their Washington phone number.

And that same contact page should also list their fax number.

I also recommend that you call the HOUSE Leadership as well

CALL Scripts:

Hello, Senator [Senator Name], my name is [YOUR NAME], and I am calling to express my strong opposition to H.R. 22, the so-called "SAVE" Act.

While this bill is framed as a measure to combat voter fraud, it is, in reality, a voter suppression effort that creates unnecessary barriers to voting and disenfranchises millions of Americans.

If passed, the SAVE ACT would affect:

Up to 150 million Americans who do not have a passport.

Approximately 69 million women citizens who do not have a birth certificate with their current legal name on it.

Elderly Americans are the least likely to hold passports.

One of the foundational values of our democracy is the idea that every person is entitled to a vote – a say in the direction of our nation.

Rather than advancing harmful legislation like the SAVE Act, I urge you and congress to focus on protecting and expanding voting rights by supporting measures such as the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Petitions:

[whenweallvote]

In the last year, more than 300 bills that make it harder to vote have been introduced across the country. But even with these targeted attacks on our voting rights, there is still hope. 

Today, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, which would protect voters from discrimination by restoring and strengthening parts of the Voting Rights Act.

Especially now, we need federal voting rights legislation like this bill to make sure ALL Americans are able to vote freely and fairly. The power should be in the hands of the people. ✊🏾🗳️

[azspot]

Democrats have tried since 2021 to pass a voting rights act but have been stymied by Republicans, who oppose such protections. On March 5, 2025, Representative Terri Sewall (D-AL) reintroduced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would help restore the terms of the Voting Rights Act, and make preclearance national. The measure is named after John Lewis, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee leader whose skull law enforcement officers fractured on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Lewis went on from his days in the Civil Rights Movement to serve 17 terms as a representative from Georgia. Until he died in 2020, Lewis bore the scars of March 7, 1965: Bloody Sunday.

Heather Cox Richardson

[petervintonjr]

One month to go, my fellow voting Americans. And I wouldn't be posting this here if I didn't believe it to be important. But I've been studying too many lives of those who have come before, who risked it all to ensure your right to vote. So make a plan and do so.

Start here and make darned sure you're registered --some states are, sad to say, already resorting to blatant f**kery to keep you out of the polling place, or to otherwise disqualify you. Some states are purging voter rolls (yes, even after the primaries); double-check your registration, and then check it again:

Plan your trip --calculate the hours it's going to take, and make provisions for it. Bring along any and all required documents --in fact, over prepare on that score. Double-check the hours of your polling place, and then check them again.

Don't let anyone intimidate you into turning back; they wouldn't be going to such an effort to unnerve and scare you, if it weren't important. And no, you don't have to tell anyone who you're voting for --not for President, not for Congress, not for your state, and not for your local officials. Too many people fought for your right to step into that voting booth next month: ordinary folks who saw what was happening and quietly stood up to do what was needed. Mary Church Terrell. Bob Moses. Annell Ponder. Ella Mae Brayboy. Unita Blackwell. We all owe this honor to their memories, to their struggles.

And make a pest of yourself to your Senators and your Representative, this month. Tell them you expect them to support the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. It's long past time for voting to move from the unenumerated rights column, into the enumerated rights column.

See you at the polls next month. We've a lot of work to do.

[mybookof-you]

2023.07.17

"The Freedom to Vote Act is popular. Seventy percent in one poll — including 54 percent of Republicans — supported its passage, while 63 percent of likely voters (including 42 percent of Republicans) supported passage of the combined Freedom to Vote Act and John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in another poll. Voter support is even stronger on specific policies such as expanding early voting, ending gerrymandering, protecting election workers, and curbing dark money...

Passing landmark federal legislation is always a long process; the 1965 Voting Rights Act was the product of over a decade of advocacy and passed only on the heels of weaker laws. The Freedom to Vote Act demands similar perseverance. It is not just the right thing to do, but also what the American people want.

Introduced 09.14.2021 by Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota

S.2747 - Freedom to Vote Act

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 19, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

House Republicans appear to be barreling toward a government shutdown, unable to agree even to debate a bill to fund the military. That rejection made Republican leadership pull from the floor a continuing resolution to fund the government into October. Extremist members simply refuse to agree to any bill that doesn’t cave to their demands. And, as NBC News reporters note, “The House [Republican] chaos is worse than it may appear.” The bills over which they are currently fighting cannot possibly pass the Senate. Government funding ends on September 30.

And so a small minority of extremists are threatening to shut down our government. Such a shutdown would have global as well as domestic repercussions: the Pentagon warned that a government shutdown would disrupt U.S. military aid to Ukraine, including training for military forces. Hamstringing our ability to help Ukraine stand against Russia, refusing to fund the Pentagon, and Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville’s hold on military promotions that has left more than 300 top military positions vacant all undermine our national security. This is an astonishing position for Republicans, who used to pride themselves on their support for the military. 

That such a small number of extremists can shut down our country speaks to the power of voting. Four days ago, Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off a month-long tour of college campuses to mobilize younger voters to “fight for our freedoms.” Today is National Voter Registration Day, and in Reading, Pennsylvania, she noted that young people have spent their whole lives in the climate crisis, have seen the Supreme Court stop recognizing the constitutional right to abortion, and have spent their earlier years practicing active shooter drills. They are now stepping up to lead the country toward solutions.

Harris told a cheering, overflow audience at the Reading Area Community College that voting “determines whether the person who is holding elected office is going to fight for your freedoms and rights or not. Whether that be the freedom that you should have to just be free from attack, free from hate, free from gun violence, free from bias, free to love who you love and be open about it, free to have access to the ballot box without people obstructing your ability to exercise your civic right to vote, in terms of who will be the people holding elected office and leading your country.” 

The political power of young voters will be important in determining the outcome of the 2024 elections. In Pennsylvania today, Democratic governor Josh Shapiro announced automatic voter registration when people are getting or renewing a driver’s license. The governor tweeted: “We got traffic moving on I-95 in just 12 days. We delivered universal free breakfast for 1.7 million students. And today, we implemented automatic voter registration. There’s more to do, but we’re getting stuff done in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

In Congress today, the Democrats, led by Representative Terri Sewell (D-AL) reintroduced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which passed the House in 2021 but was stopped by a Republican filibuster in the Senate. 

This measure would restore and modernize the 1965 Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision gutted it. Until that decision, Congress had regularly reauthorized the Voting Rights Act on a bipartisan basis, but as soon as the decision was handed down, Republican-dominated state legislatures passed voter suppression laws, gerrymandered their states, and closed polling sites, measures that made it more difficult for Black Americans, many of whom backed Democrats, to vote. In the decade since the decision, Sewell noted, at least 29 states have passed a total of almost 100 laws restricting voting.

Sewell represents Selma, Alabama, where civil rights activist and, later, Georgia representative John R. Lewis was beaten by law enforcement officers when he crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge with other civil rights activists marching for the right to vote. She noted, “Generations of Americans—many in my hometown of Selma, Alabama—marched, fought, and even died for the equal right of all Americans to vote. But today, their legacy and our very democracy are under attack as MAGA extremists target voters with new laws to restrict voting access. Ten years after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the fight for voting rights has never been more urgent.”

The reason for voter suppression was made clear again today when, in a pattern that has continued since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, no longer recognizing the constitutional right to abortion, Democrats won two elections. In New Hampshire, Democrat Hal Rafter flipped a state House seat formerly held by a Republican. And in Pennsylvania, Democrat Lindsay Powell won a special election in Pittsburgh, enabling Democrats to hold control of the Pennsylvania House.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[foreverlogical]

“Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever,” was Alabama Gov. George Wallace’s (D) pledge in 1963. It would be great if attitudes like that were buried long ago in the landfill of racist history. But looking at Alabama today, it can feel like not much has changed. 

Taking a page right out of Wallace’s 60-year-old playbook, Republican state legislators are fighting back against a direct order from the Supreme Court to redraw racially gerrymandered electoral maps that disadvantage Black voters.  

The legislature dragged its feet and finally responded to the court’s June ruling in Allen v. Milligan by submitting a new map with one hitch — legislators freely admit that it doesn’t meet the requirements for an additional majority-Black district. Earlier this month, judges on a federal district court panel threw out the new map and made a point of writing that they were “deeply troubled” by the legislators’ deliberate nose-thumbing.  

That was good news. But these Alabama lawmakers clearly think they can win by losing, because now they can appeal to the Supreme Court again. The Alabama House Speaker, unafraid to say the quiet part out loud, declared that since the court’s ruling against them last time was 5-4, “there’s just one judge” that needs to “see something different” for them to win this time around. 

Meanwhile, a federal court is ordering that yet another district map be drawn up by a special master and a cartographer. (When was the last time you heard of a cartographer?) The dispute sends the state's redistricting process back almost to square one. And if it isn’t resolved in time, elections could eventually go forward under the old, discriminatory map.  

And if anybody thought Alabama was alone in trying to turn back the clock, Florida has jumped into the fray. Just days before the federal court in Alabama rejected the legislature’s new map, a state judge in Florida nixed a redistricting plan there. That plan also would disenfranchise Black voters. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is its biggest fan.   

Other states, including Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas, are embroiled in court cases over their maps, too.   

There are probably plenty of people who will brush this off as “just politics.” But for millions of 

Americans, this is personal. And painful. 

A couple of weeks ago I had the honor to speak at the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington. I’m a millennial, and in my speech, I told the crowd what I know in my heart: that my entire life was made possible by the people who fought 60 years ago for me. To see voting rights under attack again all these years later is a gut punch. 

So we do what civil rights advocates did decades ago, and we fight. Back in the 1960s, the remedy was federal legislation. It can be again; there have been two bills in Congress recently that are designed to protect voting rights against attacks, including redistricting abuses like the ones we’re seeing in places like Alabama and Florida. These bills, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, came really close to passing as a package before GOP opposition and failure to reform the filibuster killed them in the Senate last year.   

But that doesn’t mean giving up; the Freedom to Vote Act was reintroduced by Democrats in July. The John Lewis Act will be, too, as its sponsor Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) says she plans a reintroduction. Sewell, of course, is from Alabama — the eye of the storm.  

And while there might not be much chance that the current GOP-controlled House will do the right thing on voting rights — not when Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) falsely compares the latest Alabama map scheme to redistricting in New York —  we keep fighting.   

We can thank the courts for handing voters a partial victory with rulings against racist maps. But the real victory needs to come next November when we go to the polls with a clear focus: Only vote for those who will protect our voting rights. 

 Svante Myrick is president of People for the American Way.   

[yetisidelblog]

In a heartfelt message to the American people published just after his death, the Honorable John Lewis wrote,

“Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it… Though I am gone, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe.”

A young John Lewis joined Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other activists in the historic crossing of the Selma Bridge in 1965, enduring bloody beatings by police officers to stand up nonviolently for the right to vote. This courageous protest led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), a landmark law that safeguarded the right to vote for millions of Americans.

For nearly five decades, the VRA enjoyed strong support from both parties. It required states with a history of voter suppression to obtain federal approval before implementing restrictive changes to voting laws -- ensuring all Americans would have access to the ballot box, regardless of race, income, or zip code.

However, in 2013, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Shelby County v. Holder dismantled these key protections, and unleashed a tsunami of state-level voter suppression laws. Since then, more than 100 restrictive voting laws have been enacted, disproportionately targeting Black, brown, Native, young, disabled, and low-income voters.

As we mark the 60th anniversary of that pivotal march, we must honor its legacy by restoring the full protections of the VRA by passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Send a message to your representative today and demand that they support this critical legislation. The future of our democracy depends on it.

The consequences of Shelby v. Holder have been devastating. The right to vote -- the very foundation of our democracy -- has been weakened by closing polling places, imposing harsh voter ID laws, purging voter rolls, and restricting early and mail-in voting. Without protections, millions of Americans already face unnecessary and discriminatory barriers to the ballot box.

This year Congress is considering another devastating law to further depress voting. The so-called “SAVE” Actwould further restrict voting among women, people of color, low income, elderly, and naturalized citizens.

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is the essential counterbalance to these anti-democratic efforts. It will restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act by re-establishing federal oversight of changes in states with a history of discrimination. It will ensure that no community is denied fair access to the ballot.

Congress must act now. Passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is not just about restoring a law -- it is about reaffirming the promise of democracy. At a moment when President (not King) Trump has gone so far as to tweet “God Save the King” about himself, protecting the right to vote has never been more important.  

Send a message to your representative today and demand that they support this critical legislation. The future of our democracy depends on it.

@upontheshelfreviews

@greenwingspino

@one-time-i-dreamt

@tenaflyviper

@akron-squirrel

@ifihadaworldofmyown

@justice-for-jacob-marley

@voicetalentbrendan

@thebigdeepcheatsy

@what-is-my-aesthetic

@ravenlynclemens

@writerofweird

@anon-lephant

@mentally-quiet-spycrab

@therealjacksepticeye

[hansilw]

NEW: Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama leads House Democrats in reintroducing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore key parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that SCOTUS dismantled. The bill comes 60 years after the Bloody Sunday march that galvanized the push to pass the 1965 law

[hiriajuu-suffering]

Let Me Cook

The 2024 Presidential Election was stolen. I learned from Republicans if I complained enough about an election result, I will be rewarded.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell did not take a vote on H.R.4 which would've enabled millions of eligible voters to vote for Kamala Harris. Donald John Trump deleted millions and millions of votes through crooked Mitch from the key swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin - states he lost in 2020 and bullied through threat of violence into voter suppression with his poll watching supporters and fake electors. He did this to pardon his Proud Boys out of jail to hunt down likely Democratic voters in swing counties of these states so he could repeal the 22nd Amendment to stay in the presidency until the day he dies. Again, if you don't get it, I'm only doing what Republicans taught me.

On January 8th, Congress will certify the election alongside Vice President Kamala Harris. Kamala Harris should refuse to certify the election or face death threats like Mike Pence did. An armed militia should come to the capitol and "peacefully" protest the results by killing 6 people with at least one of those being officers, and injuring at least 175 people because there are more Democratic than Republican voters but the election was stolen. Bitching and whining will help me get what I want, so we think America believes.

This election was a giant conspiracy by financial and cryptocurrency industries to place Donald John Trump as the president to steal more money from the working class through the tax cuts these companies are lining up to preorder rooms at Mar-a-lago for. The Federal Reserve was also in on this conspiracy: interest rates were cut while the stock market soared when voters were led to believe inflation had cooled long before November. Our financial institutions deliberately were supporting the 45th president because they were afraid of being prosecuted by the office of the President. Americans love bad sportsmanship, so the only thing we can do to restore Democracy is make a show and mockery of the entire democratic process in this country.

We have to do everything in our power to prevent this criminal from entering the oval office ever again as he will free the basket of deplorables that will shoot every man of color on sight so they can grab their women by the pussy. And their will women will let them. And get pregnant with their babies and denied an abortion because it was part of God's plan when the president holds the bible in the most holy way, upside down. Our country has been so gerrymandered the only votes that matter are self-proclaimed Christians with the deepest levels of hypocrisy, ones that sexually assault innocent couch cushions, journalists, and pornstars. We need to resist these violent offenders, lock them up, and deport them to the shithole European countries their great-grandparents came from. If you don't get the satire yet, you're the problem.

January 8th, 2025 will be a day that will live in infamy. Either the true patriots of America will triumph or we will elect a president that tried to overthrow the government four years prior after claiming his predecessor wasn't born in this great country. Racism will continue to grow under this fascist and more individuals will keep sending anonymous racist text messages until Donald Trump is fired like the luckiest contestants on The Apprentice. Party didn't even come before country, comedy did. Down with dudebros who still get laid and the incels who brought this horrible monster into office. What a nasty man. He needs to shut up, man. Any hate comment on this only makes it stronger.

If liberal, sane minded women are going to go 4B, conservative women need to turn into sluts. They don't believe in choice anyways.

That last line was just for me.

Fuck this political climate.

[ivygorgon]

An open letter to the U.S. Congress

Pass the Freedom to Vote Act & the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act!

924 so far! Help us get to 1,000 signers!

I am writing to you as a constituent to implore you to actively support the passage of the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Our free and fair elections are under continued assault. More than half of states have enacted laws that make voting harder for millions of Americans, often targeting communities of color, lower-income voters, and people with disabilities.

In response, it is imperative to pass federal legislation to protect every American’s constitutional right to vote and ensure elections are decided by the will of the people. The Freedom to Vote Act would counteract many of the antidemocratic voting rules being passed in the states, while stopping partisan gerrymandering and reducing the dangerous role of big money in politics. And the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would make it harder for politicians to implement discriminatory voting laws in the first place.

Your constituents are counting on you to be a champion for democracy and to help ensure that our government fairly represents us all. Thanks.

▶ Created on October 9 by Jess Craven · 923 signers in the past 7 days

[rebeleden]

Rep. Sewell Speaks Out Against House Republicans’ Voter Suppression Legislation, Calls for Consideration of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act - Press Releases - U.S. Congresswoman Terri Sewell