Voting rights activist Stacey Abrams reiterated her call for immediate action to protect voting rights in the United States this week, sharing on Twitter that voters should call their U.S. Senators and advocate for the passage of the landmark piece of voting rights legislation known as the For the People Act. Democrats have sought to implement changes like automatic voter registration for federal elections, the establishment of Election Day as a public holiday, restrictions on gerrymandering, and more, and these changes would significantly improve access to the ballot box and bolster Americans’ voices.
Abrams commented on Twitter as follows:
‘Federal action is imperative to defend Americans’ freedom to vote. Let’s keep the heat on – we need voters across the country to keep calling their Senators for #HotCallSummer and tell them to pass the #ForThePeopleAct. Call: 888-453-3211.’
Federal action is imperative to defend Americans' freedom to vote. Let's keep the heat on – we need voters across the country to keep calling their Senators for #HotCallSummer and tell them to pass the #ForThePeopleAct. Call: 888-453-3211. pic.twitter.com/maR97zpTwi
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) June 18, 2021
At present, the immediate fate of the For the People Act is uncertain, with Republicans — led by Senate GOP leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.) — insisting that they’ll be opposing the legislation. At present, due to the filibuster rules in the Senate, the agreement of 60 Senators in the 100-member chamber is required before moving forward, including to a final vote, on most legislation — and with the Senate’s current party breakdown, that would require at least 10 Republicans to support the bill. There’s no sign that 10 Republican Senators will do so.
Although Republican leaders have gathered in opposition to the legislation, polling has found that Democrats’ proposals are popular. A Data for Progress survey conducted back in April of this year uncovered that over 60 percent of respondents “supported requiring nonpartisan redistricting commissions, a 15-day early voting period for all federal elections, same-day registration for all eligible voters, automatic voter registration for all eligible voters, and giving every voter the option to vote by mail,” as reported by Vox. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), the current chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which handles U.S. Senate races for the GOP, recently claimed that the For the People Act is “not what the public agrees with” — but he is, according to polling, simply not correct.
We've done the polling — and it shows that Rick Scott is wrong (as usual).
Our poll with @MorePerfectUS shows that 6 in 10 voters support the For the People Act, including a majority of Independents. https://t.co/AYJOJX4mOw https://t.co/erLHXnrHA2 pic.twitter.com/eYJa9dZFdp
— Data for Progress (@DataProgress) June 15, 2021
