The For the People Act is plausibly the most important legislation considered by Congress in decades. It would change the basic structure of U.S. politics, making it far more small-d democratic. The bill makes illegal essentially all of the anti-enfranchisement tactics perfected by the right over the past decades. It then creates a new infrastructure to permanently bolster the influence of regular people.
The bill’s provisions largely fall into three categories: First, it makes it far easier to vote, both by eliminating barriers and enhancing basic outreach to citizens. Second, it makes everyone’s vote count more equally, especially by reducing gerrymandering. Third, it hugely amplifies the power of small political donors, allowing them to match and possibly swamp the power of big money. [1]
It has passed in the House of Representatives, and it could pass in the U.S. Senate with a simple majority of 51 votes (50 Democrats + VP Harris).
But first we need to eliminate the the filibuster…
It has a funny name, but the filibuster is a simple procedural mechanism that allows the minority party [in 2021, the Republicans] to block legislation from advancing in the Senate. The filibuster is the ability to keep debate open on a legislative item until the Senate votes to close it. Closing debate requires 60 votes, instead of the usual 50, and if you don’t have 60 votes, you can’t move to final voting. [2]
How do we eliminate it?
There’s nothing sacred about the filibuster — it’s been amended repeatedly… All it takes to eliminate the filibuster is a simple majority vote in the Senate — and this can be done at any time. Example: Senate Democrats introduces a big package of democracy reforms. Mitch McConnell, the self-proclaimed “grim reaper” of progressive legislation, then initiates a filibuster. Democrats can then hold a vote, and with just 50 votes eliminate the filibuster and prevent McConnell from vetoing the legislation. [3]
Unfortunately, at this writing, there are a few Democrats, including Sens. Joe Manchin (AZ) and Krysten Sistema (AZ), who want to keep the filibuster .
So, what can we do to pass the For the People Act?
Keep pressure on Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kristen Gillibrand to publicly support its passage and to do whatever is necessary to eliminate or reform the filibuster. Call scripts here.
Have friends and family in other states urge their electeds to support the For the People Act using this simple form.
Reach out to constituents of Democratic senators who want to keep the filibuster. You can sign up to make calls and send texts.
Write letters to the editor in your area.
Thank you!
References:
[1] The Intercept
[2] Indivisible.org
[3] Indivisible.org
Up to Date Resources on HR1/S1:
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=deb960838e48403c8359f34fb6a71a15
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