The End Game
Dispatches on the For The People Act (Edition #26)
Happy Thursday! This was an extremely eventful week for the For The People Act. HuffPost’s Paul Blumenthal said it best: We are now reaching the “end game.” The goal is in sight.
As we approach our movement’s crescendo, we need to reach as many people as possible. So please subscribe if you aren't already, and share with any friends who might want to join the fight.
Before we go over the legislative news, I wanted to share some polling we conducted with Data For Progress, in partnership with End Citizens United//Let America Vote Action Fund and The Leadership Conference Education Fund.
Here are the major findings:
A majority (51 percent) of likely voters said that they would be more likely to support President Biden if he successfully convinced the Senate to pass the For The People Act. Only 19 percent of voters reported that doing so would make them less likely to support the president. Moreover, voters of all political stripes would be energized by Biden’s leadership on the bill. 74 percent of Democrats and 42 percent of Independents said that Biden convincing the Senate to pass the For The People Act would make them more likely to support the President. And, nearly one in 3 Republican voters would be more likely to support Biden if he shepherded the For The People Act through Congress.
Americans strongly support gerrymandering reform. 60% of likely voters support the redistricting reform provisions of the For the People Act, including 74% of Democrats, 53% of Independents, and 50% of Republicans.
Overall support for the For The People Act remains very strong, with 57 percent of likely voters saying that they support the bill. This mirrors findings from Data For Progress/Equal Citizens polling in June and April, providing further evidence that the vast majority of Americans want to protect the freedom to vote, end gerrymandering, and reduce the influence of big money in politics.
For a full breakdown of the results, read our blog post here.
A few other quick updates:
This week, we have two new episodes of our podcast Another Way. First, Equal Citizens Executive Director Adam Eichen talks about the upcoming redistricting process and the threat of gerrymandering with the Brennan Center’s redistricting expert Michael Li. Check it out here. Additionally, our Founder Lawrence Lessig shares his take on why the filibuster is a fraud in another episode of Another Way. Listen to it here.
The Redistricting Deadline: Today, the Census Bureau releases the block data necessary for state legislators to draw this decade’s state and congressional maps. It’s now open season for gerrymandering to begin. To learn more about the upcoming redistricting cycle and the significance of today, read Sam Levine’s analysis in The Guardian here. We will closely monitor redistricting and keep you up-to-date.
An Update from the Senate:
Okay, now for the legislative update.
On Tuesday, the Senate conducted a vote-o-rama, an all day amendment process as part of a budget reconciliation bill. After hours — and I mean hours — of voting, the first stage of reconciliation was complete. By then, it was early Wednesday morning.
Before gaveling out, sending Senators to their August recess, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer deployed parliamentary tactics to try to force another vote on the For The People Act and two of its popular provisions. The goal was to keep the bill in the news, continue to demonstrate Senate Democrats’ commitment to the cause, and to build pressure for its eventual passage.
So what did this look like in practice?
First, Senator Schumer made a procedural move to bring the For The People Act out of committee, which, if successful, would allow it to come back to the full Senate floor for a vote. (The bill was returned to committee in June after the Republicans filibustered it.) This motion to bring the bill out of committee passed 50-49, with every Democrat voting in the affirmative — including Sen. Joe Manchin who did so with the caveat that the bill would eventually be amended to meet his standards.
Schumer then attempted to begin immediate consideration of the For The People Act. A single senator had the power to block this maneuver, and Sen. Ted Cruz decided to do so.
But don’t worry: Senator Schumer filed a cloture motion to proceed to debate on the For The People Act when the Senate comes back from recess. This is really good news (more on this below).
In his final act, Schumer moved to separately consider the anti-gerrymandering and anti-dark money reforms contained within the For The People Act. Senator Cruz again blocked consideration of these measures. These motions proved that even on two of the most popular provisions of the For The People Act Senate Republicans will not act in good faith.
So what does this all mean?
In essence, all of this parliamentary maneuvering set up the Senate to vote again on the For The People Act when they come back from recess. In fact, at the end of the night, Senator Schumer pledged: “Voting rights will be the first matter of legislative business when the Senate returns to session in September.” This is exactly that we wanted — another vote, which will set the stage for filibuster reform.
We have always known that this fight for the For The People Act would be filled with twists and turns. It certainly has. But, the final showdown is ahead of us. When the Senate comes back from recess, Senate Democrats will have to make a decision — which is more important: saving our democracy or preserving an anti-democratic, dysfunctional tool (the filibuster).
It is up to grassroots activists around the country to pressure them to make the right decision.
Recap of Recent Actions:
On Tuesday, the Declaration For American Democracy (DFAD) held a ‘Democracy Can’t Wait’ National Day of Action advocating for the For The People Act and fixing the Senate filibuster. There were nearly a hundred in-person and virtual events around the country.
Today, the Poor People’s Campaign and national faith leaders were joined by Texas legislators to demand the Senate and the White House address voter suppression. This event opened with an incredible speech from Rev. Barber that I recommend everyone listen to. Check it out here.
Also today, Stand Up America, Black Voters Matter, Common Cause, Fix Our Senate, and People For the American Way held a press conference outside the White House. They delivered hundreds of thousands of signatures to President Biden calling on him to get the Senate to end the filibuster and protect our freedom to vote.
Upcoming Event Alert:
On August 28th, there will be a March on for Voting Rights in Washington D.C. and other cities. These rallies will build pressure for the For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Please try to attend one near you!
More events are popping up all the time, so don’t forget to subscribe to hear about exciting future events.
In the News:
CNN’s Rachel Janfaza reports on the West Virginian youth activists pushing Senator Manchin to pass the For The People Act. Highlighting the grassroots organization Un-PAC, the article amplifies the message that the For The People Act is popular with Democratic and Republican voters, even if Republican politicians oppose it.
Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, the national co-director of the Poor People’s Campaign, discusses the history of voting rights in America and where we are now. Rev. Theoharis ties in the lessons her father taught her and how it informs the work she does now with the Poor People’s Campaign.
Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times argues that the filibuster does not work. He concludes, “as long as the Senate privileges partisan minorities over everything other than overwhelming bipartisan majorities, there’s little chance of progress on any of our most pressing issues.”
The Fulcrum’s Sara Swann describes two tools that voters can use to identify partisan gerrymandering in the upcoming redistricting cycle. RepresentUs and the Princeton Gerrymandering Project created a Redistricting Report Card. Additionally, the Campaign Legal Center has a tool called PlanScore.
Don’t forget to keep your friends, family, and colleagues in the loop by sharing this Substack with them.
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.
More Ways to Help!
We are entering possibly one of the most critical moments for American democracy since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We need all the help we can get to push the For The People Act over the finish line! Here are more ways to join the fight to protect American democracy:
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, Center for Common Ground, RepresentUs, and End Citizens United are organizing regular phone banks 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, here, here, and here.
Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight Action is hosting Hot Call Summer. Plug into their actions here.
Common Cause also hosts regular text banks on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Sign up to join them 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
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! If you have questions about H.R. 1 you want us to answer in our Substack, tweet at us with #HR1Substack! 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 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.
Recently, Equal Citizens launched a polling new webpage: H.R. 1 is Popular. This page chronicles the strong public support for the For The People Act. It also explores the polling on individual provisions of the bill and opinions about reforming the filibuster. Check it out here.
The Brennan Center also published a report on why H.R. 1 brings us closer to an inclusive democracy. Check it out here.
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!