Call to Action
Call your Democratic Senators and demand that they end the filibuster. The filibuster stands in the way of everything Democrats claim to support. Tell your Senators that we won’t accept excuses - they were elected to protect democracy and move the country forward out of our current crises.
Call BOTH Democratic and Republican Senators and insist that they support S.B. 1, the For the People Act which protects voting rights of all citizens.
Join grass roots efforts such as Blue Wave postcard campaign and Common Cause phone banks to influence Senators who are key to the passing of H.R. 1/S.B. 1. (Additional postcard writing opportunities are listed at the end of this post.)
The future of free and fair elections is under direct attack in the majority of state legislatures across the country. The Democrats in the U.S. Senate have within their power to protect our voting rights by passing the For the People Act. Unfortunately, they are hesitating because of a misplaced respect for the filibuster, a procedural rule that some claim promotes compromise. Democratic Senators must reject the phony “tradition” of the filibuster and vote to protect all Americans’ voting rights.
Republicans led by Donald Trump candidly admit that they can no longer win elections if all citizens are able to freely access the ballot box. Rather than run on the issues, Republicans believe massive voter suppression is their only route to regaining control of Congress and the Presidency and maintaining control in the majority of states.
Since Republicans control a majority of state legislatures including all of the 2020 swing states, they are rewriting election rules with the goal of making voting more difficult for people of color, the working poor and city dwellers. Mail in ballots, early voting, automatic registration, secure drop boxes and more are being severely limited or eliminated entirely.
The For the People Act is the antidote to voter suppression and is a guarantee that the elections in 2022 and 2024 are free and fair. The filibuster stands in the way of a 51 vote majority for protecting all Americans’ voting rights. The true “tradition” of the filibuster is that it has served as a barrier to democracy.
The United States only became an inclusive democracy after the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Last week we remembered the violence of the “Bloody Sunday” marches from Selma to Montgomery which helped spotlight the importance of voting rights. But the obscure Senate procedural rule, the filibuster, was just as important to the maintenance of the racist Jim Crow regime in the South. The filibuster has been the primary tool for maintaining white supremacy in the U.S. Senate.
Voting rights are sacred, but the filibuster also stands in the way of the entire Biden agenda including climate change, immigration reform, infrastructure, and health care reform. The 50 Democratic Senators and the Vice President represent the large majority of the American electorate. They must choose to protect democracy over a racist, anti-democratic “tradition”. Tell your Senators that we won’t accept excuses - they were elected to protect democracy and move the country forward out of our current crisis.
Postcard writing campaigns
Print on Demand postcards designed by artist for individual messages