Photo by iStock.com/wellesenterprises
I'm Angela Jiang, a community organizer with the Sierra Club's Georgia Chapter. Yesterday was a huge day for voting rights. The For the People Act, which will protect the freedom to vote, make elections safer and more secure, and reduce corruption in our government and elections, moved one step closer to becoming law.
The next step is a floor vote in the US Senate, and it's important for your senators to hear from you about why this bill matters so much. Send a message to them now, and please take a few minutes to add a personal message.
We need to pass this bill quickly to push back against the hundreds of anti-voter laws being passed here in Georgia and in nearly every other state. Let me tell you a couple of quick stories to explain the impacts of these bad laws and why the For the People Act is so crucial.
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My sister is completing her medical school residency, which means she works pretty much a thousand hours a week. She's still pulling COVID shifts, and last year she knew it was going to be nearly impossible to get time away to vote. Thanks to early voting drop boxes, we had a simple solution: I could take her completed ballot and drop it off for her. Doesn't sound too controversial, does it? But Georgia has passed a law making that simple act significantly more difficult by radically restricting and reducing the number of ballot drop boxes and the times they'll be available. This means frontline workers like my sister will struggle to cast their ballots in the next election, unless federal election protections, like the For the People Act, are enacted. It could help by mandating a period of early voting in every state, as well as ensuring ballot drop boxes are open 24 hours a day for everyone to access.
Other bad laws recently passed here in Georgia seem to respond directly to the power of Black voters and other voters of color. SB202 made it illegal to pass out food or water to voters waiting for hours in long lines -- which is something communities of color often face due to insufficient polling places in densely populated areas. Florida followed suit, passing their own similar law, and now Texas is on the verge of passing their own. In total, there are over 360 anti-voter laws being debated and passed in 47 states right now.
So it's crucial we pass the For the People Act right away. Let your senators know how much this bill and its democracy reforms mean to you. Even if they already support the bill, your senators need to know they have your support.