“Across the country we are watching Republicans do everything in their power to suppress the vote, using every dirty trick in the book to keep people from exercising their right”
Today, Congressman Joe Neguse, state Senator Rhonda Fields, and state Representatives Janet Buckner, Tony Exum, and Leslie Herod joined John Hickenlooper for a virtual panel discussion on the Voting Rights Act and the need to protect the right to vote for all Americans.
August 6th marks the 55th anniversary of the landmark Voting Rights Act, but a 2013 Supreme Court decision removed some of its important protections, leading to restricted voter access across the country. The House of Representatives passed a bill to restore the VRA in December, but Mitch McConnell refuses to bring the bill to the Senate floor and Senator Cory Gardner remains silent on it.
After the passing of civil rights legend Congressman John Lewis, Hickenlooper called on the Republican Senate to honor his legacy by restoring the Voting Rights Act. As Governor, Hickenlooper expanded the right to vote by making Colorado one of the first states with universal vote by mail.
“One of the greatest honors of my life was working alongside Representative John Lewis in the U.S. Congress, and I believe we must honor his legacy by fully restoring the Voting Rights Act,” said Neguse. “There are too many voices being silenced by decades of voter suppression, and time and time again, Senate Republicans have failed to act. That’s why we need to elect John Hickenlooper as our next U.S. Senator — as Governor, John made it easier to vote here in Colorado, and I look forward to working with him in Washington to expand access to voting across the country.”
“The late Representative John Lewis knew the most powerful weapon against injustice is a ballot,” said Fields. “He worked his whole life to protect it. Let’s secure our elections and voting rights for EVERYONE.”
“Seven years ago, the Supreme Court issued a ruling which undermined the Voting Rights Act and allowed states to ignore voices from communities of color.” said Herod. “It’s outrageous that voices from marginalized communities are still being silenced. Senators like Cory Gardner honored Congressman Lewis with words when he passed away last month; they need to honor him with action by restoring the Voting Rights Act immediately.”
“Voter suppression is still happening and reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act would move us towards a future where everyone’s voices are heard,” said Exum. “We can’t let another day go by without restoring this important piece of legislation — but our very own Senator Gardner refuses to speak up and call for the Act to be restored. Colorado has a history of making it easier to vote thanks to John Hickenlooper. We need to do everything we can to get him to Washington to expand voter access in America.”
“When the Voting Rights Act first passed, It marked a major step towards addressing discrimination and the disinfranchisement of voters of color,” said Buckner. “Today, we are still seeing voter suppression in states across the country, and it needs to come to a stop. In order to live up to the promise of our democracy, the Senate must restore the Voting Rights Act. When John Hickenlooper was governor, he made it easier to vote by implementing vote by mail. I vividly remember him working with the legislature to make sure every eligible registered voter in Colorado got a mail-in ballot. He believed in a strong democracy then and and he believes in it now. In the Senate, I know he will continue the fight against voter suppression.”
“Across the country we are watching Republicans do everything in their power to suppress the vote, using every dirty trick in the book to keep people from exercising their right,” said Hickenlooper. “The Supreme Court’s ruling in 2013 gutted important protections of the Voting Rights Act, and now we have a responsibility to fully restore it but it’s still sitting on Mitch McConnell’s desk waiting to be heard in the Senate. I’m calling on the Senate to get its act together to fully restore the Voting Rights Act — we should be making it easier to vote, not harder.”
