WASHINGTON, D.C. — Shame on the U.S. Senate.
Tonight’s vote to thwart the passage of the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act was a bitter defeat for every principle that Senators swear to uphold. Our constitutional rights as citizens of a democracy were in the balance tonight, and 50 Republicans, aided and abetted by two Democrats, turned the other way.
According to the Brennan Center, nearly 71 percent of white voters cast ballots compared to only 58 percent of nonwhite voters. Since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, the gap between white and Black voter participation grew significantly in every state but one of those that were covered by the Act.
The Senate tonight opened the doors to voter suppression and racial discrimination even wider, continuing to disproportionately impact women (and especially women of color) with their actions and telling those working to undermine democracy they have official government approval.
NOW members will express our vehement disapproval at the ballot box this November, and every day until then. We’ll be pushing Senators to bring this measure back and keep voting rights and equality under the law first and foremost on the nation’s agenda.
For democracy to work for us all, it must include us all.
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The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the nation’s leading membership-based advocacy group dedicated to defending women’s rights, advancing equality and combating injustice in all aspects of social, political and economic life. Through educating, mobilizing, and convening a vast network of grassroots activists across the country, NOW advocates for national, state and local policies that promote an anti-racist and intersectional feminist agenda. Since its founding in 1966, NOW has been on the frontlines of nearly every major advancement for women’s rights and continues to champion progressive values today. More about NOW’s efforts and resources is available at NOW.org.