Cindy Carr, cindy.carr@sierraclub.org
PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Today, President Biden delivered a speech on protecting the freedom to vote just one day after a majority of Texas House Democrats left the state to block a vote on new voter suppression bills. To date, 48 states have introduced nearly 400 bills restricting access to the polls, and the For The People Act, which is awaiting a vote in the U.S. Senate, would halt many of these voter suppression bills.
Today, Texas House Republicans voted to track down and arrest the Democrats, and Texas Governor Abbott said they would be arrested upon returning to the state and detained in the Capitol. Abbott also threatened to keep calling additional special 30-day sessions to pass voter bills that will suppress the vote in Texas, even as hundreds of Texas voters held rallies in front of the Texas Capitol in protest of the anti-voting bills. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court also further weakened section two of the Voting Rights Act. Last month, Senate Republicans exploited the filibuster to delay an initial debate on the For The People Act. The Sierra Club called for the elimination of the filibuster in May.
In response, the Sierra Club’s Interim Lone Star Chapter Director Cyrus Reed and Democracy Program Director Courtney Hight issued the following statement:
“Texas Democrats are doing what’s needed to protect voting rights in Texas; it’s time Senate Democrats and President Biden follow suit to pass the For the People Act. As President Biden said himself, this is the test of our time and an imperative for our nation. Every person in this country -- no matter their skin color, their zip code, or their political affiliation -- has the right to drink clean water, to breathe clean air, and to exercise their democratic rights, full stop.
“Senate Democrats must rise to the challenge and boldly use their power to enshrine the right to vote for all who call this country home. We call on the Senate to not let procedure block progress and pass the For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act without delay. The future of our American democracy and the freedom for all who call this country home depends on it.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.