Garamendi Votes for Historic Voting Rights Bill; Calls for Urgent Action in the U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) voted to send the “Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act” (H.R. 5746) to the U.S. Senate for urgent consideration. This legislation would protect and expand voting rights in the face of unprecedented attacks against the right to vote by state legislatures across America.

“My vote for the ‘Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act’ is one of the most critically important votes I’ve taken throughout my tenure in Congress,” Garamendi said. “In 2021, 19 states enacted 33 laws that make it harder for Americans to vote—especially for Americans of color. Never since the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has America witnessed such a coordinated and comprehensive partisan attack on voting rights.”

“The craven attacks and lies by former President Trump in the wake of his lawful and legitimate defeat in the 2020 election to President Biden have catalyzed the Big Lie that Republican legislatures across America have used to enact unprecedented legislation to attack American democracy,” Garamendi continued.

“Our hallowed democracy is the foundation of America. Without it, we do not live in the free and fair society that our Founding Fathers aspired to. That’s why, today, House Democrats came together to pass the ‘Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act.’ This legislation upholds the principle of one person, one vote and protects the unassailable right to vote from any partisan attacks,” Garamendi continued.

“The Democratic United States House of Representatives has done its job and passed the most significant and critically important voting rights bill of this century. I call upon my colleagues in the U.S. Senate to put country over party and immediately pass this legislation to protect voting rights for every American,” Garamendi concluded.

Additional Background:

In December, Garamendi introduced an amendment in the House of Representatives that would eliminate a line in the Electoral Count Act of 1887 that President Trump and his allies have identified as a means to overturn the results of lawful election results and install candidates of their choosing. Garamendi is continuing his fight to strike this provision from the law and prevent partisan actors from hijacking free and fair elections.

The “Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act” (H.R.5746) Institutes:

·        Automatic Voter Registration and Online Voter Registration

·        Election Day Holiday

·        Uniform Early Voting

·        Same Day Voter Registration

·        Federal Minimum Standards on Vote by Mail and Drop Boxes

·        Strengthens Voter List Maintenance Standards

·        Counting of Provisional Ballots

·        Standards for Voter Identification

·        Expanded Voting Access Protections for the Disabled, Native Americans, Military, Overseas Voters, and Underserved Communities

·        Protection of Election Records, Election Infrastructure, and Ballot Tabulation:

·        Voter-Verified Paper Ballots, Reliable Audits, and Voting System Upgrades

·        Non-Partisan Election Official Recruitment and Training

·        Comprehensive Voting System Security Protections

·        Establishing Duty to Report Foreign Election Interference

·        Non-Partisan Redistricting Reform and Banning Partisan Gerrymandering

·        Combatting Secret Money and Election Interference

·        State Election Assistance and Innovation Fund