Schiff Statement on House Passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
“The right to vote is the right from which all others flow. And today, the House has taken a monumental step forward to ensure every American can exercise their fundamental right to vote with the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Named for a civil rights icon and eternal champion of our democracy, this legislation would honor John Lewis’s legacy by empowering Congress to intervene when state and local officials enact discriminatory voter suppression laws and ensure that every eligible American – no matter what they look like or where they live – can make their voice heard at the ballot box.
“Protecting the right to vote today is more critical than it has ever been. Republicans in state legislatures across the nation are engaged in an all-out assault on our democracy, enacting highly restrictive voter suppression laws designed to disenfranchise voters, particularly Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous voters. Not since the Jim Crow era have we witnessed such brazen efforts to bar people from the ballot box. It’s despicable - and it cannot be allowed to stand.
“History will judge us by how we meet this moment. The House has acted. Now, the Senate must take up and pass this critical legislation with haste.”
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