FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Jan 13, 2022
MEDIA CONTACT
Austin Schuler, aschuler@faithinpubliclife.org | 540-280-3393
As House Passes Voting Rights Legislation, National Faith Leader Calls For Moral Action in Senate
Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed, by a vote of 220 to 203, the Freedom to Vote: John R Lewis Act. The bill will be sent to the Senate in a way that allows the chamber to begin debate with a simple majority of Members present, instead of the 60-vote threshold imposed by arcane, changeable Senate rules.
Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO of Faith in Public Life Action:
“Our freedom to vote is the foundation of every other freedom we have, and the Senate majority has a moral duty to defend it right now by passing the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act.
“God granted all people dignity, which means we all deserve an equal voice in choosing our leaders – no matter our race, religion or ZIP code. But Republican politicians in 19 states have attacked our freedom and our dignity by putting up new barriers to voting that deliberately target Black, Brown, Asian and Native voters. In some states, they’ve even given partisan politicians the power to sabotage election results. Every Senator took an oath to defend the constitution. Senators must now use their majority to uphold that oath, rather than allowing arcane rules that have been used to uphold white supremacist policies for centuries to stand in the way of our sacred freedom to vote.
“History will judge every Senator’s actions at this moment of moral truth. The right choice couldn’t be any clearer. The Senate must pass the Freedom to Vote: John R Lewis Act now.
###
Faith in Public Life Action is a national movement of clergy and faith leaders united in the prophetic pursuit of justice, equality and the common good. Together, with a network of over 50,000 leaders, they are leading the fight to advance just policies at the state and federal level that affirm our values and the human dignity of all.