The “Right to Vote Act” enshrines in statute U.S. citizens’ right to vote in Federal elections
Bill allows Americans to challenge laws that make it harder to vote
Washington, D.C. — Today U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Angus King (I-ME) joined as original co-sponsors of Senator Jon Ossoff’s Right to Vote Act, legislation to create a first-ever affirmative Federal voting rights guarantee for all U.S. citizens.
The Right to Vote Act protects American citizens’ fundamental right to vote. It establishes a first-ever statutory right to vote in federal elections — protecting U.S. citizens from laws that make it harder to cast a ballot.
“The Right to Vote Act will establish for the first time in federal statute an affirmative right to vote for every U.S. citizen, and it would empower American citizens to challenge state laws that diminish their access to the ballot,” said Sen. Ossoff.
“There is no doubt that the freedom to vote is under attack, and inaction is not an option,”said Sen. Klobuchar, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration which has oversight over federal elections. “This legislation enables voters to challenge policies that make it more difficult to cast their ballots, empowering people to fight efforts to roll back voting rights across the country. In the face of these unprecedented attempts to limit the right to vote, we must move quickly to return our democracy to its rightful owners: the American people.”
“Voting is the foundation of our democracy, and this legislation moves us closer to protecting the sacred right to vote for every American,” said Sen. Rev. Warnock. “I am proud to cosponsor this bill, which helps protect access to the ballot box for every eligible voter in Georgia and across our country.”
“As Republican-led legislatures weaponize the Big Lie to attack our free and fair elections, it is more important than ever for Congress to affirm that voters have a right to participate in our elections,” said Sen. Padilla. “The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy. When that foundation is undermined, Americans must have a clear standard that enables them to defend their right in court.”
“Our American experiment in self-government is rooted in the right to vote – but across the nation, states are establishing new, onerous hurdles between citizens and the voting booth,” said Sen. King. “It is absolutely critical that we protect the fundamental right to vote and ensure that Americans pick their elected officials, not the other way around. Our bill would create a statutory right to vote, pushing back on the fast-evolving voter suppression efforts popping up around the nation and ensuring that all eligible voters are entitled to participate in American elections.”
The bill allows Americans to enforce that right by challenging in court any policy that restricts ballot access. States attempting to restrict voting access will have to meet a high bar to justify any policy that makes it harder for U.S. citizens to participate in Federal elections.
The Right to Vote Act protects all actions necessary for Americans to participate in elections, including registering to vote, obtaining any ID required to vote, casting a ballot, and ensuring that ballot is counted.
Click here to read the Right to Vote Act.
