Washington, D.C. — In anticipation of the Senate’s introduction of S.1, the For the People Act, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) issued the following statement from Voting Rights Program Director Justin Kwasa:

“We applaud Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Jeff Merkley, and Rules Committee Chairwoman Sen. Amy Klobuchar, for their leadership in introducing S. 1, the For the People Act, a sweeping democracy reform package that will expand and protect the freedom to vote, end partisan and racial gerrymandering, get polluter money out of politics, and restore transparency and accountability in our government. Passing S.1 and unrigging our political system would return power to the overwhelming majority of people in this country who want to see meaningful action on climate change and clean energy.

“Since the 2020 election, state legislatures across the county have introduced more than 250 bills aimed at strategically silencing the voices of Black, Indigenous and other communities of color from our democracy. We’ve seen Georgia pass bills that limit early voting and eliminate no-excuse absentee voting. Arizona is trying to pass bills that would purge voter rolls and make it harder to vote without a driver’s license. These attacks have made it clear that federal legislation is needed that will ensure we have a democracy that is representative of and responsive to all of our communities.”

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Enacting the For the People Act will supersede suppressive state laws and modernize our voting system to ensure a consistent and accessible process for voters across the country. As you are covering S. 1 and democracy reforms, Georgia Conservation Voter’s Brionté McCorkle (478-919-5326; brionte@gcvoters.org) and Chispa Arizona’s Laura Dent (520-343-4900; ldent@lcv.org) are available to speak to the specific impacts on their communities in Georgia and Arizona.

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