A Glance at the Numbers
Dispatches on the For The People Act (Edition #15)
Following a big week for H.R. 1, including its Senate markup (which you can read about here), we wanted to highlight just how popular the bill is. So when people tell you that it is unpopular and being forced through Congress by a narrow majority, you can use these numbers to counter the misinformation.
This is also a special edition because it’s Kate's last Substack! We (the Equal Citizens team) are extremely sad to see her go, but we know that she will do sensational work moving forward. Starting in June, she will join the Crooked Media team. Kate greatly appreciates all the kind words provided by readers over the past three months and will remain active in the fight for the For The People Act.
So just how popular is the For The People Act?
Put simply, the For The People Act polls very, very well with people across the country and across the political spectrum. And this support has held steady through the early months of 2021.
Nationally:
In January, a Data For Progress/Equal Citizens poll found that 67% of likely voters support the For The People Act, including 77% of Democrats, 68% of independents/third party supporters, and 56% of Republicans.
In February, little changed. A Data For Progress and Vote Save America poll showed that 68% of likely voters support the For The People Act. This comprised 78% of Democrats, 68% of independents/third party supporters, and 57% of Republicans.
In April, Pew Research polled the popularity of different voting access policies. They found that:
61% of Americans support automatic voter registration (AVR).
70% support the re-enfranchisement of those who were formerly incarcerated.
78% support requiring two weeks of early in-person voting.
The For the People Act encompasses all three of these reforms.
Another Data For Progress/Equal Citizens poll in April found that 62% of likely voters support the For the People Act. It also found that a majority of likely voters (56%) support the small donor matching program in H.R. 1 and a significant majority of those who want democracy reform support a bold comprehensive package.
Additionally, Data For Progress and Vox conducted a survey in April that found that many of the reforms in the For The People Act are wildly popular:
Over 80% of likely voters support limiting the influence of money in politics and modernizing election infrastructure.
Over 60% support independent redistricting commissions, same-day voter registration, and automatic voter registration.
Arizona:
A recent poll by End Citizens United / Let America Vote Action Fund found that 84% of Arizona voters, including 78% of Republicans, support the For the People Act.
West Virginia:
End Citizens United / Let America Vote Action Fund also recorded that support for the For the People Act in West Virginia is at 79%, including 76% among Republicans.
RepresentUs released a poll in May that showed 71% of West Virginia voters wanted their senators to vote for the For The People Act, including 66% of Trump supporters.
The numbers speak for themselves. The American people, whether you poll the whole bill or key provisions, want the For The People Act. It is crucial that the politicians in Washington wake up to this reality. While Democratic senators are nearly unified in their support for the bill, a few are hesitant to do what it will take to pass this historic piece of legislation. We hope that those who are straggling can come to grips with the popularity of the For The People Act and commit to properly representing their states by doing what’s necessary — including reforming the filibuster — to pass it. As far as Senate Republicans are concerned, the numbers above show how out of touch their unified opposition to the bill is. Republican voters, just like Democratic voters, want to see the For The People Act become law.
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In the News:
The Intercept reports that Chuck Schumer opposes Senator Manchin's voting rights strategy and will continue to prioritize the For The People Act. Joe Manchin is pushing for an update to the Voting Rights Act, but the Senate Majority Leader maintains his focus on more comprehensive reform. While restoring the VRA and passing the For The People Act are both necessary, Schumer and others (including our founder Lawrence Lessig) recognize that just fixing the VRA will not sufficiently solve the democracy crisis we face.
Daniel Weiner of the Brennan Center argues that the GOP resistance to campaign finance reform is out of step with American voters. Weiner, the former senior counsel at the Federal Election Commission, explains that the minor reforms to the FEC included in the For the People Act are essential. Without them, the Commission is unable to fulfill its mission.
The Seattle Times gives an update on Seattle’s novel ‘Democracy Vouchers’ program, a reform that the For The People Act would pilot. Seattle gives its residents four $25 vouchers to donate to any eligible local political campaign. This innovative policy empowers non-wealthy constituents to become donors, helping to democratize influence in the political process.
Check out or Substack on public financing and the democracy voucher pilot program in H.R. 1 here.
James “JJ” Minor, President of the Richmond NAACP, urges the Senate to break the deadlock on the For The People Act. Minor highlights the differences in voting laws between states such as Virginia, which has expanded and protected voting rights, and other Southern states with restrictive voting laws, like Georgia. The For The People Act would set a national voting rights standard and override much of the voter suppression in these Southern states.
Feel free to share this Substack or any of the articles we highlight with your friends, family, or on your socials!
Social Media Roundup:
Let’s be frank: there are A LOT of tweets, posts, and general conversation about the For The People Act. In this section, we give you an overview of the tweets and media you really need to see.
How you can help:
One of our previous Substacks included 5 quick and easy ways to join the fight for H.R. 1! You can learn more about how to get involved here. In the meantime, you can:
Call your senators and tell them that you support reforming the filibuster to pass H.R. 1. You can find your senators’ phone numbers, as well as where they stand on the filibuster, using our handy filibuster tracker!
Common Cause and Center for Common Ground are organizing regular phone banks to voters in Arizona and West Virginia in support of the For the People Act. This is a great opportunity to spread the word about H.R. 1. Check them out here and here.
Write a letter to the editor in your local paper sharing your support of H.R. 1 and urging your Senators to pass it. Not sure how to write a letter to the editor? Reach out to us at info@equalcitizens.us and we can help!
Share our newsletter, our podcast, the articles included above, and the resources on H.R. 1 below on social media and tell your friends why you support #ForThePeopleAct
If you have questions about H.R. 1 you want us to answer in our Substack, tweet at us with #HR1Substack!
Extra, Extra:
If, after reading our newsletter, you still want to know more about the For The People Act, Equal Citizens, or the two of us, you can find more information here!
Relevant Resources:
Here are a few resources on the “For the People Act” if you have questions:
Equal Citizens recently launched a filibuster tracker, so you can see where your senator stands on the filibuster. It also includes their phone numbers and their Twitter handles, so you can get in touch with them directly and push them to support filibuster reform!
The Brennan Center for Justice created a wonderful guide to H.R. 1. Check it out here. They also created an in-depth report about racism and disenfranchisement due to incarceration.
Here is the link to the House website on the For the People Act.
Flood social media with these awesome graphics about the For the People Act!
There is a lot of misinformation about H.R. 1, and the amount of misinformation will only grow as the fight heats up. That’s why it’s more important than ever to make sure everyone has all the facts on the bill - here is an article from Media Matters that can help you fact check. Additionally, the Brennan Center published a piece to help you decipher fact from fiction. Check it out here.
More about us:
Kate Travis is a fellow at Equal Citizens and a junior at Harvard studying History and Literature with a minor in Government. When she’s not fighting for democracy, you can find her running, playing the cello, and drinking copious amounts of coffee (maybe even all at once). Follow her on Twitter at @mkht930.
Kevin Rissmiller is a fellow at Equal Citizens and a Goodwin-Niering Scholar at Connecticut College majoring in Government and exploring sociology, economics, and applied statistics. In his free time, you will find him at Dunkins or (pre-pandemic) playing ultimate frisbee. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
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