John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, For the People Act must be

Voting rights shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Yet the contentious dispute on whether to defend every American’s right to vote has taken center stage in Congress, and for an unnecessary amount of precious time.

With time not on our side, there is no reason we should still be debating whether to pass a civil rights bill that will indubitably strengthen our fractured democracy by achieving the one goal our nation’s essence depends on – lending a voice to the people.

Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., recently stated that “it is easier for eligible Americans to vote than ever before in American history.” Sadly, this statement could not be further from the truth.

From Texas, to Georgia, to Michigan and beyond, anti-voter politicians are prioritizing their own gamesmanship ahead of our nation’s democracy. State legislators around the country have introduced more than 400 bills that will make it more difficult for Americans to exercise their constitutional voting rights, and at least 18 states have passed such legislation. Ingrained in these attacks on voting rights are generations-long patterns of discrimination targeting communities of color, particularly Black communities. The overwhelming evidence of voter suppression speaks to this truth: It is easier for privileged, eligible Americans to vote than ever before in American history.

The NAACP has historically spoken up for our nation’s democracy when it has been tested by anti-voter forces inside and outside of our government. From the passage of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Voting Rights Act of 1965 to President George W. Bush’s extension of this historic bill for 25 more years in 2006, we have been at the forefront of spearheading major civil rights legislation for more than a century. We know what voter suppression looks like. And we have been challenging it vigorously. Our fight to combat these continued virulent attacks on our nation’s democracy endures, because we know that our nation’s principled foundations are still at risk of being overturned by personal agendas.