Tell the Senate to Protect Our Democracy

Many of the critical issues that our nation faces—combating the climate crisis, ensuring affordable health care, creating good-paying jobs, and achieving racial justice—cannot be fully addressed until we fix our broken democracy.

This means that in order to protect our environment, we must protect our democracy. We cannot ensure that all Americans have access to clean air and water if dirty fuels executives and corporate polluters are allowed to run our country, flout the law, abuse their power, and drown out everyone else’s voices. 

For generations, our democracy has been functional at best, but never as inclusive and as strong as it should and must be. These days, we’re once again seeing a surge of racist voter suppression bills being introduced in state legislatures across the US. We must act immediately to protect voting rights at all levels.

This is why the Sierra Club supports the “For the People Act” (HR 1), and other democracy reform bills like the “Voting Rights Advancement Act” (HR 4) and HR 51, which would make Washington, DC, a state. We are confident that these reforms will change the course of our country and put power back into the hands of the people, instead of a wealthy few. 

Last week, the House passed the For the People Act for the second time. Every single Democrat co-sponsored the bill. That’s huge because the For the People Act will fundamentally change our elections and government to be more just. Among its many benefits, HR 1 will:

• Add up to 50 million voters to the voter rolls 

• Restore the right to vote to over 1.7 million formerly incarcerated Americans

• Make voting more accessible and reduce the influence of money in politics 

• Shift structural power and amplify the voice and power of communities of color

• Institute nationwide early voting and enhance absentee voting

• End partisan gerrymandering and establish clear criteria for drawing districts through a transparent process

• Provide funding for election security

• Tighten restrictions on congressional conflicts of interest and enhance transparency by requiring members to disclose outside compensation

HR 1 has broad support: Eighty-three percent of Americans support HR 1, including 75 percent of Independents and Republicans. President Biden supports these reforms. After one of the most divisive elections in history, HR 1 can rally the public around election integrity and hold elected officials accountable to the needs of their constituents—clean air, clean water, and a healthy climate for every person.

HR 4 would restore and modernize the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which has been undermined by the GOP for years. One key measure is its “targeted process for reviewing voting changes in jurisdictions nationwide focused on measures that have historically been used to discriminate against voters of color.”

HR 51 would make Washington, DC—my home—a state. The Sierra Club believes “the rights of the residents of the District of Columbia are violated when the US Congress imposes its will on local matters—including important environmental issues facing the District—and denies citizens who live in the District of Columbia voting representation on federal issues in both houses of the US Congress.” Sixty-three percent of DC residents are people of color. It’s unconscionable that we don’t have equal representation.

To achieve the promise of our democracy we must pass each of these reforms—HR 1, HR 4, and HR 51—which will reduce the influence of money in politics, crack down on corruption in both parties, help ensure fair and accurate elections, and protect voting rights no matter who you vote for.

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