Activism erupted in response to calls by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for passage of voting rights improvements in the United States, including the elimination of congressional regulations that require 60 senators to support the majority of legislation.
Ms. Stacey Abrams is an activist for voting rights and a Democratic Party politician.
“In his heartfelt understanding, the President believes that Congress must enact the #FreedomToVoteAct and the #JohnLewisVotingRightsAct by whatever means necessary, including modifying or removing the Senate filibuster…
In order to preserve our democracy, I respectfully request that all Senators of good conscience support the restoration of the Senate through a rule change.”
DERRICK JOHNSON, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE PRESIDENT & CEO (NAACP)
“Our democracy is nearing the end of its usefulness. The United States of America may soon be unrecognizable if President Biden does not apply the same amount of urgency to voting rights as he did to BBB and infrastructure reform.
While President Biden delivered an eloquent speech today, it is now time for this administration to put its words into action and for Congress to carry out its constitutional mandate. Voting rights must not just be a priority, but must be THE most important priority.”
DANIS, JUDITH BROWN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE ADVANCEMENT PROJECT
“While President Biden’s address in Georgia today raises the alarm on voting rights, we must put out the fire by amending Senate rules on the filibuster as soon as possible in order to pass voting rights legislation in the United States. It is impossible to overstate the importance of this event…”
U.S. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER
“All of us in the Senate must make a decision about how we will contribute to the preservation of our democratic institutions. We can’t be satisfied with the notion that democracy will triumph in the end if we aren’t willing to put in the necessary effort to protect it in the meantime.
We must take action to safeguard democracy, and we will do so in the future.”
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi
“President Biden made it quite clear today in Georgia that the Senate must find a way forward in order to incorporate crucial voting rights legislation into law…
The president proclaimed emphatically that the time has come for the Senate to heed the call of John Lewis and do its share to preserve the vote and put an end to Republican attempts to nullify elections. Nothing less than the survival of our democratic system is at stake.”
SENATOR JOHN CORNYN, a Republican from the United States of America
“They’re not going to be successful in their endeavors. Once again, President Biden and his party will overpromise and under deliver, as they have done in the past.”
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ADAM SCHIFF, DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED STATES
“The right to filibuster and the right to vote are not on an equal footing. One is the foundation of democratic institutions. The other allows a minority to defy the wishes of the majority of the population.
So when it comes to choosing between conserving one or the other, the decision isn’t difficult. The filibuster must be abolished in order for democracy to survive.”
SENATOR MIKE CRAPO OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
“What the Democrats have dubbed a voting rights law is, in reality, a partisan political power grab by the Democratic Party. In order to move this heinous law, they now want to abolish the filibuster, which would only serve to increase confusion during our election process.”
TOM COCHRAN, CEO & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORS
“In our democratic system, we have reached a fork in the path. Over the last few months, 34 legislation have been passed in over a dozen states that will make it more difficult for Americans to vote.
It is wrong to launch such a historic onslaught on voting rights, and mayors throughout the country congratulate President Biden for reaffirming his commitment to passing voting rights legislation in Congress.”