On voting rights we must acknowledge the urgency of this moment

Today, Robert Brandon, our president & CEO, issued the following statement after President Joseph Biden’s speech on voting rights, given today in Philadelphia:

We stand by the strong remarks made by President Biden today, asserting that the ongoing efforts to restrict the right to vote are the most significant threat to the integrity of our elections, and agree that our democracy is facing its greatest peril since the Civil War. These attacks are partisan, anti-American attempts to undermine the voices of millions of American people. Continued state-level attacks on voting rights constitute a national crisis that make clear the need for legislation that protects American citizens against this dangerous suppression.

While we stand firmly behind the expansion of civic participation and President Biden’s call for a coalition dedicated to the voting rights cause, we know that the greatest authority for protecting these rights lies in the hands of our elected officials. Our nation’s Senators are overwhelmingly responsible for protecting the fundamental rights of all Americans, especially those of our most marginalized communities, like Black and brown voters. Our elected leaders must get rid of all impediments to a just, representative democracy, including the filibuster, to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act by any means necessary.

We support the Biden Administration’s commitment to making voting rights a crucial priority and call on Congress to pass legislation that will expand voters' freedom to access to registration and the ballot, ensure a fair redistricting process where voters choose their representatives, so millions of American voters can continue to make their voices heard. All Americans must be cognizant of, as the President put it, “the urgency of this moment.”