Resource Hub: Understanding The For the People Act

The For the People Act is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fundamentally shift power away from wealthy special interests and put it in the hands of everyday people. The bill, designated as H.R. 1 and S. 1 in Congress, is the boldest, most comprehensive democracy reform legislative package introduced in Congress in decades as it deals with ethics in government, money in politics, voting rights, election security, and gerrymandering. 

But I’m sure you have questions about the bill and what’s in it. Below you’ll find many resources from Common Cause and our coalition partners to help you better understand the For the People Act and how it will transform our democracy to be truly of, by, and for the people.

Resources on what is in the For the People Act:

• Common Cause: What is the For the People Act?
• The Brennan Center for Justice: Annotated Guide to the For the People Act of 2021
• Campaign Legal Center: The For the People Act: How Key H.R. 1 Provisions Would Fix Democracy Problems
• Center for American Progress: Momentum Grows for Bold Democracy Reform
• Democracy Reform Task Force: Section by Section: H.R. 1, The For the People Act of 2021
• Let America Vote and Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights: Problems in 2020 Elections Solved by the For the People Act and John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act
• Text of H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2021
• Section-by-section of the For the People Act of 2021
• Groups endorsing the For the People Act of 2021

Resources on how the For the People Act empowers everyday Americans:

• Demos: The Impact of Select H.R.1/S.1 Policy Changes on Black and Brown Political Power
• Campaign Legal Center: How H.R. 1 Will Help Us Achieve a Government for the People
• Voter Protection Program: The Impact of H.R. 1 & S.1 on Voting: An Analysis of Key States

Resources on how the For the People Act is based on local reforms with bipartisan support:

• Common Cause: The For the People Act in the States
• Campaign Legal Center: The Bipartisan Origins & Impact of the For the People Act (H.R. 1/S. 1)
• CREW: Nonpartisan and bipartisan HR 1 recommendations

How you can take action to tell Congress to pass the For the People Act:

• Click here to share pro-For the People Act messages and graphics on social media
• Click here to email your member of Congress in support of the For the People Act
• Click here to call your member of Congress in support of the For the People Act
• Click here to write a letter to the editor in your local newspaper in support of For the People Act
• Click here to join Common Cause’s action team to phonebank or textbank members of Congress

Selected editorials and opinion pieces on the For the People Act:

• Karen Hobert Flynn of Common Cause in Inside Sources: Why We Need the “For the People Act”
• Sylvia Albert of Common Cause in Roll Call: Why Congress must pass HR 1 and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act
• Stephen Spaulding of Common Cause in The Hill: The parts of H.R. 1 you haven’t heard about
• Kate Titus of Common Cause Oregon in the Statesman Journal: A bill of, by and ‘For the People’
• Quentin Turner of Common Cause Michigan in the Lansing State Journal: For the People Act will protect our vote, amplify the voices of marginalized communities
• The Washington Post Editorial Board: Republicans want more voter suppression. Here’s how to make elections more fair — not less.
• Stacey Abrams in The Washington Post: Our Democracy Faced a Near Death Experience. Here’s How To Revive It.
• Jon Schwarz in The Intercept: The “For the People Act” Would Make The U.S. A Democracy