U.S. Senate Should Pass For The People Act

We need to ensure that every voice is heard, every vote is counted and every vote is protected. The U.S. House recently passed a sweeping new democracy reform bill called the For The People Act, which removes barriers to the ballot box, ends the dominance of big money in politics and ends the culture of corruption in Washington. It was the first bill introduced in the 116th Congress, and I am proud that every Democratic representative in Florida voted to ensure its passage. These reforms are a necessary first step in making progress on the very real problems Floridians face. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is standing in the way. Our very own senators, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, should support the Senate companion bill - and call on McConnell to hold a vote. The Supreme Court’s decision removed the formula to determine which states and counties had a history of racial discrimination in voting and needed the government’s approval before changing voting laws. That formula covered many counties in Florida, including Collier, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough and Monroe counties. In the absence of federal protections, states have enacted harmful new forms of voter suppression, like mismatch signature laws, voter purges and strict identification requirements. States like Georgia, Alabama, and Kansas have removed polling places and driver’s license offices in majority-minority communities. And, despite Florida voters overwhelmingly approving Amendment 4 that restored the vote to men and women with past felony convictions, our own Legislature and governor are attempting to deny enfranchisement to these returning citizens, who are disproportionately black and brown. We have seen some states take initiative and implement more inclusive measures such as automatic voter registration and early voting. But this will never be enough. We need comprehensive federal solutions…. Too much is at stake for our democracy not to deliver on the reforms in the For the People Act. The legislation would not only fight against targeted voter suppression. It would also address partisan gerrymandering, dark money influence, campaign finance reform and ethics abuses by elected officials. It is past time that we implement the will of the people and make the For The People Act the law of the land. It may be the only way to restore free and fair elections in states like ours, which have begun to crumble under the weight of bad political actors. This bill is a once-in-a-generation proposal, and it is on us to make sure we hand down a democratic process that our children and grandchildren can prosper under.