WASHINGTON — Today the League of Women Voters of the United States CEO Virginia Kase Solomón issued the following statement in response the US Senate’s introduction of the transformative voting rights bill, the Freedom to Vote Act:   

“The League of Women Voters supports the Freedom to Vote Act, a bill that protects and expands the right to vote, decreases the influence of money in politics, and curbs partisan gerrymandering. 

“The Freedom to Vote Act protects and expands ballot access for millions of Americans, especially those who are often targeted by anti-voter laws — voters of color, voters with disabilities, formerly incarcerated voters, women voters, young voters, and elderly voters. 

“The greatest impediment to voting is not being registered, which is why the League of Women Voters has been a leading advocate for including Same Day Voter Registration in federal voting rights legislation. We are proud to see Same Day Registration in the Freedom to Vote Act, because it protects Americans who fall through the registration cracks and offers an important avenue for more voters to participate. Same Day Registration ensures that the largest number of Americans can exercise their constitutional right to vote. 

“As a nationwide organization leading fair redistricting through our program People Powered Fair Maps™, the League is pleased that the Freedom to Vote Act includes proactive measures to curb gerrymandering. States across the country are already drawing district maps that will impact representation for the next ten years, which is why it is crucial that Congress address the anti-democratic practice of partisan gerrymandering now. Ensuring that communities of interest are not diluted best positions voters to choose their representatives — not the other way around. 

“Automatic voter registration, online voter registration, and early voting provisions in this bill work together to provide Americans with more options to participate in our democracy. 

“The Freedom to Vote Act is the bill the American people want and need to make the promise of democracy real for us all. The League of Women Voters strongly urges every Senator to support this bill.”