Danielle,
Last night, Georgia's Republican governor signed a sweeping set of restrictions to make it harder for Georgians to vote, especially Georgians of color.
The details in the new Georgia voter suppression law are appalling. They've… - Made it a crime to hand out food and water to people waiting in line to vote — even though those lines can stretch for hours and hours in the hot sun, thanks to Republicans cutting back on polling places, particularly in Black and Brown communities.
- Required ID to cast an absentee ballot and restricted ballot drop boxes, which for a lot of people are the most convenient way to vote, especially if they're working long and unpredictable hours.
- Grabbed some authority over running elections from local officials, which could allow partisan Republican state legislators to try to mess with the certification process after a close election.
We can't sit on our hands and let Republicans get away with blatant voter suppression. In Washington, we've got to protect the right to vote by passing the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Right Act. But first, we need to demand action as a grassroots movement.
Add your name if you agree, Danielle: Washington must act to repeal voter suppression laws and make it easier to vote, because the right to vote is the beating heart of our democracy.
Georgians have turned out in record numbers to make their voices heard at the ballot box.
They helped elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. They flipped the Senate. They made it possible for Democrats to take bold action — like passing the American Rescue Plan.
But Republicans haven't responded to their losses at the ballot box by listening to voters, or by adjusting their policies to try to bring in more support and help more people.
No. Instead, across the country, the GOP has responded by lying about voter fraud and launching the biggest assault on voting rights since Jim Crow.
Understand this: Republicans are afraid to face the voters in a fair election, where everyone gets to make their voice heard, because the GOP agenda is unpopular.
Most people don't want leaders who only work for big donors and giant corporations. They don't want a government that slashes taxes for the rich and powerful so it can turn around and gut Social Security, gut Medicare, and strip the rest of our country for parts. They don't want a government that denies climate change, coddles the NRA, and leaves people out on their own in a deadly pandemic.
But we've got to level the playing field in our elections so everyone can make their voice heard.
Voter suppression has a long, ugly, history in our nation — and in Georgia. Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, used every trick in the book to suppress the vote when he ran against Stacey Abrams in 2018. But Stacey Abrams stayed in the fight and turned Georgia blue in 2020. She's helped lead the charge to ensure the right to vote across the country.
And we've got to stay in the fight, too. We've got to persist.
Danielle, add your name to say you're in this fight all the way to protect voting rights — and let's fight side by side.
Thanks for being a part of this,
Elizabeth
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