The Wait Is Almost Over
Dispatches on the For The People Act (Edition #29)
Hello again, dear reader. I am back after taking a week off. This week, I have an encouraging update about the For The People Act, and, as always, I’ll give you highlights about the ongoing grassroots activism for democracy.
We are in the home stretch of this campaign. Over the next few weeks, the updates and ways to plug into the fight will proliferate. Let’s keep the momentum going.
A Senate Update: The Senate is still on recess, but we are getting closer to their return date: Monday. Senators will have a lot of work to do when they get back, but we must make sure that democracy legislation is prioritized. As you know, Majority Leader Schumer promised another floor vote on the For The People Act when the Senate returns. We need to hold him to this promise and pressure all Senators to vote to advance the bill. Of course, we fully expect Republicans to filibuster the bill again, but this will only increase the momentum for eventual filibuster reform.
This fight is still proceeding as planned. Our challenge will be to raise hell once the bill is filibustered.
For The People Act Update: For weeks, Senate Democrats have been working on a slightly revised For The People Act that all fifty Democrats can rally behind. It appears that the group spearheading this effort is close to an agreement and it may be released soon. This is a major development, and though we still need to see the bill language, we are very optimistic that the agreement preserves the best of the original bill.
Politico Playbook reports that Senate Democrats are currently working to find Republican support for the revised version of the For The People Act. There is almost no chance that they will succeed in this mission, but this is nevertheless an important exercise that will advance the fight to fix the filibuster.
Read more here: Senate Democrats Close To Agreement On Voting Rights Compromise
More Updates: Last week, the Fix Our Senate coalition (of which we are a member) announced the addition of 20 new partners in the coalition. This is a major boost to the grassroots efforts to fix the filibuster. This expansion came on the heels of a massive publicity campaign in which the coalition released a letter — signed by over 100 organizations — calling for filibuster reform. The letter was covered by HuffPost, The Hill, and the Washington Post.
In light of Texas’ new anti-choice law, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid once again called for the abolition of the Senate filibuster. This puts renewed pressure on current Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to act. Read more in The Hill here.
Finally, FiveThirtyEight published an interactive redistricting tool. It allows you to keep track of and visualize the new maps moving through each state. Check it out here.
Marching on Washington, 58 Years Later:
On Saturday Aug 28th, there were two major grassroots protests in Washington D.C. for voting rights, which drew tens of thousands to the National Mall. These events — the ‘Good Trouble March’ hosted by Black Voters Matter and the ‘March On for Voting Rights’ led by March On — received widespread media coverage and amplified the calls for reform.
These two actions were a perfect way to commemorate the 58th anniversary of the March on Washington. At the March On for Voting Rights, members of the King family spoke, and it was truly an inspirational moment.
You can watch the events here and here.
Upcoming Events:
Next week (September 13th-17th), there will be a ‘Finish the Job’ Week of Action including a rally outside the Capitol and additional actions across the country. You can learn more here.
There are other regional events on the Declaration for American Democracy website (click here). Please make sure to find an event 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:
In the New York Times, Adam Jentleson, former staffer for Senator Harry Reid, highlights the need for President Biden to stand up for voting rights. He writes: “But at the end of the day, it is up to Mr. Biden to bring home the small number of votes needed to end the tiered system that forces voting rights legislation to garner supermajorities in the Senate, while other bills sail through with just 50 votes.”
In The Hill, journalist Karl Evers-Hillstrom covers AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler’s warning to pro-filibuster Democrats. Shuler made it clear that there will be electoral consequences for politicians that protect the filibuster.
The Hill’s Brett Samuels reports that the White House believes that it is up to Congress to protect voting rights and reproductive rights. The White House has continued to shrug off its responsibility to pressure Congress to act on these critical issues.
Elise Viebeck of the Washington Post analyzes the new two-tiered election system in the United States. Across the country there is a clear divide in election laws: Conservative states are making it harder to vote, while Democratic-held states are expanding the franchise. This is an unsustainable development and highlights the need for the For The People Act.
Bonus: The Guardian highlights Civil Rights Leader All Sharpton’s efforts to push Biden to lead on fixing the filibuster.
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.
You can also text DEMOCRACY to 33339 to receive a daily text message reminder to call your senators in support of S.1.
League of Women Voters can also help you contact the White House 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!