WASHINGTON – Today the League of Women Voters of the United States CEO Virginia Kase Solomón issued the following statement on the 202-203 US House passage of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act: 

“The swift action taken by the US House to pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act matches the urgency of this moment. This legislation is critical to protecting our democracy. This new bill will ensure that voters can safely and freely cast their ballots, stop partisan gerrymandering, and limit the influence of dark money in politics so that billionaires cannot buy elections.  

“Our country remains in the middle of a desperate fight to safeguard our democracy. State legislatures around the country have introduced hundreds of bills designed to create barriers that prevent Black, brown, Indigenous, and other voters from casting their ballots. Right now, redistricting processes across the country are underway that will determine how marginalized communities are represented for the next decade. This is the first redistricting cycle without the full protection of the Voting Rights Act, and some states are using this discrepancy to create safe seats and protect their own political interest, often to the detriment of communities of color. 

“Without national standards for voting and elections as we approach midterms, voters are at risk of losing their freedom to vote. We urge the US Senate to follow the House, bypass the filibuster rule, and pass this meaningful legislation for the American voters.”