Forget the Naysayers, Keep Fighting
Dispatches on the For The People Act (Edition #17)
Hello, friends. It’s Kevin.
What a crazy week it has been in the fight for the For The People Act.
I’ll have much more to say below, but the big news is that Sen. Joe Manchin — the only Democratic Senator to not cosponsor the For The People Act — penned an op-ed on Sunday claiming that he will vote against the bill. While this is an unfortunate development, there is no reason to believe this is the end of the fight. In fact, there is plenty of reason to think we can change Sen. Manchin’s mind.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that the Senate vote on the For The People Act will proceed as planned at the end of the month. The clock is now ticking to pressure Manchin. (One immediate action you can take to build pressure on Manchin is to sign our Open Letter here.)
Before continuing further, if you missed last week’s event with Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander, the Brennan Center’s Elizabeth Hira, and Lawrence Lessig, you can watch the full recording here.
Don’t forget to subscribe to get more updates about the For The People Act and for more exciting events in the future!
So what’s the deal with Manchin?
As mentioned, right before meeting top civil rights leaders, Manchin penned an op-ed outlining the reasons he will oppose the For The People Act. But here’s the thing: Manchin’s problems with the bill were not about substance. The West Virginia Senator’s objections rest on the fact that no Republican Senators support the bill. Passing election reform on a partisan basis, Manchin claimed, “will all but ensure partisan divisions continue to deepen”. As such, Manchin proposed moving forward with the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and is determined to find a bipartisan solution to voting reforms.
Let’s be real: This argument makes absolutely no sense.
First, the For The People Act is already a bipartisan bill. Not only does it build off pre-existing nonpartisan/bipartisan measures, but the bill is also extremely popular with Americans across all political ideologies. It’s true that there are no Republicans in Congress who support the For The People Act, but as I mentioned last week, there is no chance 10 Senate Republicans will support any voting rights bills — no matter how minor. Indeed, right after Manchin voiced a desire for bipartisan support for voting rights, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced his opposition to the restoration of the Voting Rights Act — dumping cold water on Manchin’s suggestion that the VRA could generate significant bipartisanship. (McConnell, in particular, serves as a signal about the GOP position — remember, he was able to hold his caucus together to block the popular January 6th Commission bill, an extremely controversial move.)
GOP Senators have a vested interest in blocking democracy legislation. They benefit from the status quo in which their state-level counterparts are passing bills to make it harder for their political opponents to vote. It’s time for Joe Manchin to come to terms with this reality.
Another major flaw in Manchin’s plan — which I have mentioned before but it is worth repeating: The VRAA is essential but it is not a substitute for the For The People Act. Putting aside the question of whether the Supreme Court would uphold Manchin’s VRAA proposal (see here), restoring the Voting Rights Act would not do anything about the voter suppression laws currently on the books — nor would it tackle gerrymandering and money in politics — which would leave our democracy in a perilous state. As many have argued, we need to restore the VRA, but only if it is paired with the For The People Act will we meet the challenge of our democracy crisis.
Over the next few weeks, Manchin is going to have to choose between the myth of Senate bipartisanship and protecting American democracy. There’s a correct choice and I hope he makes the right decision.
Okay, but this all begs the question: How do we get him to make the right choice? The answer is simple: there needs to be a groundswell of activism. I know pundits are suggesting that the fight is over, but I can assure you, it’s not. Negotiations often have people walk out of the room, only to find a path forward.
So right now, here’s what you can do. Sign our open letter to Senator Manchin asking him to reconsider. Then pick Common Cause, RepresentUs, or End Citizens United and join their volunteer efforts. Additionally, Fair Fight Action is commencing Hot Call Summer, which includes phone banks, text banks, and town halls with Stacey Abrams. Keep an eye out for ways to plug into Hot Call Summer on our social media.
These next few months could be the most important for American democracy since 1965, so please join us in this fight. Together, we can win.
Please help us amplify this message by sharing this Substack with friends, family, colleagues, and social networks.
In the News:
MSNBC’s Steve Benen has a simple message for Senator Manchin: The math doesn't add up. Manchin’s defense of the filibuster means that he needs 10 Senate Republicans to join him in passing the VRAA (and the For The People Act — if he ends up supporting it). When it comes to the VRAA, only 1 Republican, Sen. Murkowski of Alaska, supports the bill and even she expressed uncertainty about being able to get 9 more.
Both progressives and liberal Democrats are frustrated with Senator Manchin’s obstructionism. However, they are attempting to work with him, trying to convince him to change his position. Sen. Warnock talked with Manchin on Sunday after the op-ed was published, and the Georgia Senator reported that he is “hopeful” that Manchin would come around on voting rights.
CNBC reports that the Koch network is pressuring Sen. Manchin to oppose key elements of the Biden agenda, including the For The People Act. The Koch network and other conservative groups have also pushed Manchin to continue to oppose filibuster reform.
In good news:
Senator Schumer recommended two voting rights attorneys for seats in the federal courts to the Biden Administration. The Brennan Center’s Myrna Perez was suggested for a position on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals and the ACLU’s Dale Ho for the Southern District of New York.
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 phonebanks 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 and help constituents contact their Senators in support of the bill. 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 or Equal Citizens you can find more information here! Also, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more updates throughout the week.
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 Me:
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.
If you want more updates on H.R. 1 from Kevin, then subscribe here!