News Clips

“Administrative action, litigation, and organizing are critical to combat this, but these tactics are not a substitute for congressional action on the For the People Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act,” Karen Hobert Flynn, president of the group Common Cause, said Tuesday. “As the president ramps up his use of the bully pulpit and engages with senators, we urge him to make clear that the Senate minority’s use of the filibuster—a Jim Crow relic, in the words of former President Obama—must never stand in the way of the freedom to vote.”

Voting rights advocates say the legislation being considered in the special session in Texas are largely the same as the bills that failed to pass during the regular session. The bills would “make it even more difficult to vote, especially for senior, disabled, and low-income Texans,” says Anthony Gutierrez, executive director for Common Cause Texas.

"Texas Democrats are showing America what it looks like to fight like hell for our voting rights. They are using every tool available because they know there is nothing more important than preserving our democracy so every Texan can have their voice be heard by their government," Common Cause Texas Executive Director Anthony Gutierrez added in a statement. Gutierrez noted that while the actions of state lawmakers are commendable, other states may not have the same option to push back on their own respective election bills. "Texas is just one example. Voters in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and countless others are also facing Republican-led schemes to strip away our voting rights," he said. "Voters cannot afford to wait any longer for Congress to take action. If we believe in free and fair elections, then we have to fight for them." "Texas Democrats have led by example, doing whatever it takes to preserve our democracy. Now it's time for Congress to do the same," Gutierrez added.

“It’s extremely unfortunate, but I think it’s become increasingly clear that Democrats may have to go it alone,” said Aaron Scherb, director of legislative affairs for the nonpartisan Common Cause, a nonprofit group that has advocated for both the For the People Act and the legislation named for Lewis. 

“Anyone who wants to go testify, read the bill, they’re going to have 24-36 hours to do it,” said Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, a group working to defeat the legislation. “It definitely feels like a complete subversion of democracy to try and get their voter suppression bill passed.”

"It might be more palatable and that might just be with the way they've learned to sell themselves, but it really is coming from the same place," said Sylvia Albert, the director of voting and elections for the good-government group Common Cause.