Tuesday, the Senate Votes on the Future of Democracy
Dispatches on the For The People Act (Edition #18)
Hello. Kevin here!
It’s finally time: The Senate will vote on the For The People Act (S. 1) on Tuesday. The road ahead will be filled with twists and turns, so I want to share with you a few things so that you are prepared for what is to come.
But first, BIG news this week: This past Wednesday, Senator Manchin came back to the S. 1 negotiating table (after initially announcing his opposition to the bill) and provided a list of provisions that he supports and opposes. Some of what he wrote was encouraging, such as his endorsement of gerrymandering reform and automatic voter registration. But there were some red flags — namely, his opposition to public financing of elections and his support for a national voter ID mandate. Overall, this is a good step forward to the ultimate passage of S. 1, but as will be described below, we will need to fight hard for the best bill possible. (We cannot negotiate away public financing.)
The Intercept provided us with more good news, too: In a leaked audio recording, Sen. Manchin seemed to voice support for filibuster reform — which is a prerequisite for S. 1 becoming law.
Okay, so what does this mean and what should we expect next week.
First, the bill will be blocked by the filibuster, one way or another. In the best case scenario, Sen. Joe Manchin joins the Democrats to advance debate on the bill. Worst case, he does not. Either way, there will not be 60 votes to advance the For The People Act. But as I’ll explain, that doesn’t mean the fight is over.
Second, after the filibuster, there is a good chance that the pundits will declare the For The People Act dead. However, just like I said two weeks ago, do not listen to the pundits. Some of them were arguing that this bill was dead months ago. Look how wrong they were. Activists across the country — especially in West Virginia — never gave up and ultimately pressured Manchin back to the negotiating table. The pundits constantly underestimate what’s possible; let's keep proving them wrong.
Third, think of next week as the beginning of the second phase of this campaign for the For The People Act. Our job will be to pressure Sen. Joe Manchin to agree to as much of the original bill as possible, and then pressure the entire Democratic caucus to reform the filibuster to allow the For The People Act to get through. Once that happens, we will force a second vote.
Don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date as we enter the next phase of this fight.
I know, that sounds like a long-shot. But here’s why we will win: This movement will be successful because of all of the activists, organizations, and individuals standing up for democracy. Everyday Americans are demanding a government for the people, by the people. And this pressure is already moving mountains. It has pushed Senate leadership to make this bill a priority, and it has brought Sen. Manchin back to the table.
We have prepared for this filibuster fight for months. We’ve known the For The People Act would be stopped by the filibuster on our first attempt. Everything is in place to keep fighting in this second phase.
That said, we now need even more grassroots support. So I’m including a range of action options below. Now is the time for you — and everyone you know — to act.
We Need YOUR Help!
We are entering a critical stage in the fight to protect American democracy. Next week, Senator Schumer will bring the For The People Act to the floor of the U.S. Senate where it will be taken hostage by a Republican filibuster. We must pressure Senators to continue to support the For The People Act and to commit to reforming the filibuster to protect democracy. This will require a groundswell of grassroots mobilization from as many people as possible. Here are some brief descriptions of ways to plug in to this fight for democracy:
June 18th - 26th: Join Black Voters Matter as they host Freedom Rides in a number of cities including Charleston, West Virginia and Washington D.C.
June 24th from 12 pm - 5 pm: Participate in filiBusted, a virtual and in-person event, organized by Declaration for American Democracy (DFAD). This event will raise awareness about the filibuster and why it blocks progress on key issues like climate legislation and gun reform.
June 28th - July 10th: Join a variety of events organized under the multi-week campaign, Deadline For Democracy, hosted by Indivisible and DFAD. There will be events all across the country to generate buzz about the For The People Act. The goal for these events is to build enough pressure that when the Senate returns from their summer recess they have no choice but to pass the For The People Act.
Anytime: Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight Action kicked off Hot Call Summer this week with regional town halls. Plug into their actions here.
Reoccurring: 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. Common Cause also hosts regular text banks on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Sign up to join them here.
Please sign up for any of the events listed above or any other actions in support of the For The People Act. Also, it would be greatly appreciated if you could share these events with friends, family, and colleagues. We must demand a better democracy; it won’t be handed to us.
Share this Substack with anyone and everyone so that we can have the largest impact on the fight!
In the News:
The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent highlights an appropriate way for Democrats like Joe Manchin to talk about the filibuster. Praising how Montana Democratic Senator John Tester speaks about the filibuster, Sargent suggests that moderate senators can prioritize bipartisanship but also recognize that the American people need action if bipartisanship fails.
The Poor People’s Campaign organizes hundreds in a Moral Monday March in West Virginia to pressure Senator Manchin. They advocated for the For The People Act, a $15 federal minimum wage, and a progressive infrastructure package.
“There is no such thing as being moderate when it comes to protecting voting rights…” - Rev. William Barber (co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign)
Action Alert: The Poor People’s Campaign has another Moral Monday March planned for Wednesday (June 23rd) in Washington D.C. — sign up here.
Arizona’s Secretary of State Katie Hobbs chronicles her fight to protect voting rights in Arizona and asks the U.S. Senate to pass the For The People Act. Arizona has faced an onslaught of Republican anti-voter bills since the 2020 election. Hobbs emphasizes that passing H.R. 1 / S. 1 would be a major victory for democracy.
Elizabeth Hira of the Brennan Center for Justice published a comprehensive and incredible report on H.R. 1 / S. 1. Hira builds on her previous writing that the For The People Act is the “Next Great Civil Rights Bill”. Also, don’t forget to check out her recent event with Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander and Lawrence Lessig here.
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.
Other 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! Below is a list of concrete actions that you can take to help pass the For the People Act: For more details on the following actions, check out our guide here.
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!
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 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.
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