Those in Congress cannot do the work of the people without the people!

Two senators stood in the way of passing legislation that would protect our right to vote. Those two senators refused to carve out an exception to the filibuster to allow for a simple majority to pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. Through the convoluted workings of the Senate and House, the bill was cobbled together from previous bills and included a provision to prevent partisan election subversion and the politicized removal of election officials—a provision no one ever imagined was necessary. Passage of this federal legislation would have restored features of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that have been systematically chipped away by the courts, especially following the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder. To see the provisions of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, click here and go to page 3.

Although it was predictable and served to get senators on the record, the defeat of the bill in the Senate on January 19 was a severe setback to protecting all citizens’ right to fully participate in our democracy. This unsatisfactory situation means we need to persist and take stronger action to remedy it.

So, what is our next move?

We continue to advocate by pressing for passage of the new bill. It is more comprehensive than the two independent bills we were fighting for in late 2021 (the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act). Now we link arms with our partners and continue to participate in public demonstrations in support of voting rights legislation. We use social media to encourage others to join the fight. We advocate at the state and local levels against voter suppression and against redistricting abuses by calling or writing our representatives and city councils. We write op-eds. We become poll workers. We register voters and get the vote out! We combat disinformation—and do not spread it.

Finally, as the president of the California League of Women Voters, Carol Moon Goldberg, reminds us, don’t forget to thank our California senators for doing the right thing. They have a difficult road ahead. Click here for the contact information and links to thank our senators. Goldberg reminds us that January 19 may have been a setback, but it is not the end of the fight.

—Martha Y. Zavala