Following Anniversary of Bloody Sunday, Durbin Calls on Congress to Restore & Strengthen Voting Rights for All Americans
Durbin: “It’s time to finish the work John Lewis and the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement started”
WASHINGTON – Following the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on Congress to work to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin specifically called for Congress to enact the For the People Act, which the House of Representatives passed last week. This bill would prohibit voter roll purges that states like Ohio and Georgia have enacted, and modernize and strengthen voter registration systems and ballot access. It would also help end the dominance of dark money in our political system—including through establishing a small-donor public financing system for congressional elections, based on Durbin’s Fair Elections Now Act. Durbin also praised President Joe Biden’s Executive Order calling on the Federal government to make it easier for Americans to register to vote and access the ballot box.
“Last Sunday, in honor of the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, President Biden signed an executive order to make it easier for Americans to register to vote and access the ballot box. While this was a welcomed announcement, we need to act as well in Congress. As Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and a cosponsor of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in the last Congress, I look forward to working to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act in the months ahead… passing it [the For the People Act] and the Voting Rights Advancement Act will provide critical tools to ensure that all Americans can exercise their right to vote,” Durbin said. “These bills represent the bold action Americans have been calling for. We must not ignore that call.”
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
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