Special Event Invitation: Jason Alexander on H.R. 1

You won't want to miss it.

Hello faithful reader. It’s Adam Eichen, Executive Director of Equal Citizens. Kevin is on vacation this week. So I’m writing with a few quick updates and an invitation to an awesome (virtual) event we are holding next week with actor Jason Alexander (co-star of Seinfeld). 

Quick updates:

First, Senate Democrats held an internal meeting yesterday about the For The People Act and Sen. Joe Manchin, the only Democrat who has not yet cosponsored the bill, was in attendance. He reportedly “paid riveted attention but did not speak.” This is a small, positive development, but, needless to say, we still need him to throw his support behind this historic reform. 

Sen. Manchin, as you know from last week’s substack, is currently in favor of spending political capital on a restoration of the Voting Rights Act — with his own twist. Our founder, Lawrence Lessig, and Professor Guy-Uriel Charles published an op-ed this week arguing against Sen. Manchin’s plan, suggesting that it is unlikely to withstand Supreme Court review and is an insufficient substitute for the For The People Act. You can find it here. (As described by Lessig and Charles, Equal Citizens strongly supports properly restoring the VRA in addition to — not as a replacement for — passing the For The People Act.)

And finally, this week on the podcast, Lessig interviewed Frank Luntz, longtime GOP communications expert. The two discussed the meaning of truth in politics, how to combat lies about the 2020 election, whether Luntz supports H.R. 1, and if we should be concerned about the rise of minoritarianism. Listen here. 

Special Event Invitation:

Okay, now for the exciting news. 

On June 4th, at 5:30pm ET, actor and director Jason Alexander will moderate a discussion between Equal Citizens’ Lawrence Lessig and Elizabeth Hira of the Brennan Center. It will be a hilarious and informative evening about the For The People Act. The three will speak about the bill, the absurdities of the opposition to it, why everyone should care about this fair election fight, and what you can do to help. 

You can RSVP to the event here. There are a limited number of “seats”, so don’t wait to get your ticket.

I’m not going to lie — I am a huge fan of Jason Alexander. So imagine my excitement when I found out that, in addition to being such a stellar actor, he is also a champion of democracy reform. You really won’t want to miss his comedic spin on our fight for H.R. 1.

I’m incredibly eager for you to hear from Elizabeth Hira, too. She is one of the brightest minds in the democracy field, a sensational advocate for reform, and was one of the original drafters of the For The People Act. (Praise for my colleague Lessig — and why he’s worth listening to — goes without saying!)

After you RSVP, feel free to send us any questions or topics you would like addressed during the event. You can reach us at info@equalcitizens.us.

This event is cosponsored by The Brennan Center for Justice, RepresentUS, End Citizens United, Common Cause, and Open Democracy.

Hope to see you there!