Washington, D.C. –– Today, Georgia U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff led the push for voting rights by chairing a historic Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the urgent need to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021.
Sen. Ossoff made a passionate call urging passage of the bill, saying, “I can think of no better way to honor the life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis as our country still mourns his passing last year, than to restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965, for which he bled, and nearly died, to protect that precious, almost sacred, right to vote.”
Earlier this week, Sen. Ossoff joined 48 colleagues in introducing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021, landmark Federal voting rights legislation that would restore key protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were gutted by the Supreme Court to prevent states with a history of discrimination –– like Georgia –– from enacting laws that discriminate against minority communities.
The historic bill also includes Sen. Ossoff’s Election Worker and Polling Place Protection Act, which would help protect election workers and their families from threats of harm and safeguard election infrastructure, such as polling places.
Click here to watch Sen. Ossoff’s remarks:
Please find a transcript of his remarks below:
SEN. OSSOFF: “As referenced in the title of this hearing, my friend, Congressman John Lewis, and if you’re a Georgian, an American, still feel his presence profoundly, though he’s gone, and we have an obligation to live up to an honor his example. He said that the right to vote is ‘precious, almost sacred.’ And I can think of no better way to honor the life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis as our country still mourns his passing last year, than to restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965, for which he bled, and nearly died, to protect that precious, almost sacred, right to vote. The hearing is adjourned.”
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