Media Center

Tonight, there were no surprises in the opening act of the push to pass the For the People Act in the United States Senate. But grassroots momentum continues to build in a fight that will go on all summer as we continue to make the case to the American people and their representatives in Washington that this legislation must be passed to expand the freedom to vote, break the grip of big money in politics, end gerrymandering, and crack down on corruption.  

Today, Common Cause urged every member of the U.S. Senate to vote “yes” to advance the For the People Act in a vote expected later this week. The letter notes that Common Cause plans to score this vote in the next version of our Democracy Scorecard which we send to our 1.5 million members. The pro-voter, anti-corruption bill contains the most comprehensive set of democracy reforms to be introduced in Congress since the post-Watergate reforms were passed in the 1970s. The letter emphasizes that our democracy faces a crisis in the wake of insurrectionists storming the Capitol and hundreds of GOP voter suppression bills – largely targeting Black and Brown Americans - introduced in state legislatures since Republicans lost the White House and control of the Senate in the November election. It points to the fact that at least 14 states have already passed nearly two dozen restrictive voting bills already this year.

The fight for voting rights does not end with an op-ed. The For the People Act (S. 1) has overwhelming bipartisan support nationwide and in West Virginia 79% of Senator Manchin’s constituents support the bill – including 76% of registered Republicans. Leader Schumer should advance the bill to a full Floor debate. If Senate Republicans try to filibuster such a motion to proceed to a full Floor debate, Senator Manchin should not join such a filibuster. He should vote to allow the debate to take place on the Floor and not just in the op-ed pages. The bill has already passed the House, had a Senate markup that adopted 5 Republican amendments, and is poised for Floor action.

Today, all but six of the Republican Senators turned their backs on democracy and on their nation. History will not be kind to those Senators who voted against even allowing a debate on a bill to create an independent 9/11-style commission to investigate the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by an armed mob bent on overturning the results of the 2020 election by force. That attack left 5 dead and scores injured – including more than 130 law enforcement officers who suffered injuries while defending the Capitol and the members of Congress inside.

Today, the Senate Rules Committee took a historic step in considering the For the People Act (S. 1), comprehensive legislation to protect our freedom to vote, ensure that our voices are heard by preventing billionaires from buying our elections, and enable us to elect leaders who represent our interests by making sure district lines are drawn by nonpartisan commissions rather than behind closed doors by incumbent politicians. The bill now heads to the Senate floor. Although congressional Republicans and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell continue to obstruct this bill, the For the People Act remains popular among Republican, Democratic, and independent voters. In fact, key provisions of the bill have already been passed and proven successful in red, blue, and purple states.

Today, the Census Bureau released apportionment data, which determines the number of representatives in the House of Representatives for each state and the Electoral College. Undoubtedly, this census endured unprecedented challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted, delayed, or canceled virtually every census operation. This was exacerbated by the political interference from the previous administration, including attempts to add an untested, eleventh-hour citizenship question to the census form and unconstitutionally exclude noncitizens from the apportionment totals.