FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 21, 2021
Contact: Jessica Felix Romero jromero@sojo.net
Failure to Pass Freedom to Vote Act Represents Moral Failure
Statement from Sojourners President Adam Russell Taylor
WASHINGTON, DC - The Freedom to Vote Act (S. 2747), a consequential piece of legislation that would have protected the right to vote for millions of American citizens, failed in cloture yesterday. Since 1965, each of the four reauthorizations of the Voting Rights Act passed with overwhelming support from Congress. In 2006, President George W. Bush signed the last VRA reauthorization after both the House of Representatives (390-33) and the Senate (98-0) approved the measure following an exhaustive review of evidence and testimony demonstrating both its effectiveness and its continued need. This issue is not partisan—it is about people. And the people have a right to vote and our government have a duty to preserve it.
Sojourners President Rev. Adam Russell Taylor:
Suppressing the right to vote is a direct assault on both our civic equality and our Christian conviction that all people are made in the image of God. This is what we saw yesterday with the Senate’s failed cloture vote on the Freedom to Vote Act. America’s democracy is not a given; it has been contested since our nation’s founding and must be fought for, defended, and constantly expanded. The right to vote represents the lifeblood of our democracy; it is what gives democracy its legitimacy and power. Our country is strong when voters pick their leaders—not when leaders get to make laws that allow them to pick and choose their voters. This is core to our democracy, and it is core to our faith which affirms the humanity and value of every human being.
No matter our race, background, or zip code, all Americans should have a say in key decisions that impact our lives—whether that is our families’ economic well-being, the education of our children, or delivering vaccines to all of us. In the absence of a path forward, we urge the Senate to create a carve-out for or suspend the filibuster to pass these voting rights protections and democracy reforms. Perhaps then we can imagine a day in the future when voting rights truly becomes a bipartisan cause and nonpartisan issue. We also urge the Senate to not make the same mistake with John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 (S. 4) when it comes to the floor next week.
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About Sojourners - Sojourners, a faith-inspired nonprofit, articulates the biblical call to social justice through its magazine and digital publication and convenes, equips and mobilizes people to put their faith into action while building alliances for effective advocacy. Sojourners envisions a future in which Christians put their faith into action in the passionate pursuit of social justice, peace, and environmental stewardship, working in partnership with people of conscience and from other faith traditions. https://sojo.net/