Cantwell Defends Voting Rights on the Senate Floor, Highlights Success of Washington State Vote-By-Mail, Business Leader Support

01.18.22

Cantwell Defends Voting Rights on the Senate Floor, Highlights Success of Washington State Vote-By-Mail, Business Leader Support

Cantwell: "I will not stand by, because my parents taught me better."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) spoke twice on the Senate floor for over an hour in total in support of passing legislation to strengthen voting rights protections. During her remarks, she highlighted the success of Washington state's vote-by-mail system and support for voting rights legislation from prominent business leaders across the country.

"We have to have faith in close elections, and the best way to do that is not to suppress the vote but encourage and empower more people to vote in a safe and secure manner. We need to believe in our voting system, not believe that we can undermine it. Democracies don't grow on trees. They need to be protected. They need to be defended. They need to be fought for," said Senator Cantwell. "What we need to do now is to protect our democracy. We need to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act... Let's vote to get this done. Let's move forward to show our country we believe in voting rights in the United States Senate."

Cantwell spoke at length about the safety, security and successes of the vote-by-mail system in Washington state, "I'm proud of the 84% turnout in the State of Washington in a presidential election year thanks to vote-by-mail. And I'm proud that vote-by-mail, I think, is the antidote to the accusations that people have about a voting system that they think can be attacked by a foreign government or undermined in an electronic voting system."

She also spoke prominently about the hundreds of businesses that have come out in vocal support of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, Cantwell stated, "These are all corporations who know the importance of doing business in the United States, the importance of a democracy, and they've got to be scared about what they're seeing… People want to do business in stable countries where you have a free and fair election."

In 2013, the Supreme Court's Shelby County v. Holder decision gutted critical voter protections within the Voting Rights Act, crippling the federal government's ability to prevent discriminatory changes to state voting laws and procedures. In the wake of Shelby, states across the country have responded with strict voter ID laws and other voter suppression schemes that have systematically disenfranchised minority voters. These discriminatory efforts to restrict access to the ballot box undermine the progress and equality that John Lewis fought hard over decades to achieve, from his time as a civil rights movement leader to his tenure in Congress.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore and modernize the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as well as provide the federal government with new critical tools to combat voter suppression throughout the states. Among other efforts to strengthen voter access and election integrity, this bill:

• Restores and updates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which is the permanent nationwide prohibition against race-based discrimination in voting.
• Restores Section 4b, which enables the federal government to protect voters in states which have a history of discriminatory voting laws.
• Assert that a private right of action exists under the Voting Rights Act.
• Provides protections to election workers and polling places.
• Includes the Native American Voting Rights Act to expand access to the ballot box for those living on Tribal lands.
• Includes penalties for voting rights violations.
• Attempts to remedy U.S. Supreme Court's Brnovich v. DNC Decision, which significantly weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

The bill updates the Voting Rights Act formula used to determine which states and localities might need extra oversight of voting due to a pattern of discrimination. It incorporates the Native American Voting Rights Act which protects the right of Native Americans in spite of distinct barriers. It would also expand the government's authority to send federal observers to any jurisdiction where there may be a substantial risk of discrimination at the polls on election day or during an early voting period.

Senator Cantwell has been a long-time advocate of improving voting access and election security to make sure every eligible American has the ability to vote. In October 2021, Cantwell cosponsoredthe John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. In June 2021, Cantwell also spoke on the floor in support of the For the People Act to uphold voting rights, a bill introduced in March 2021. In January 2021, Cantwell introduced the Vote At Home Act to expand vote-by-mail ballot access, providing voters with pre-paid ballot return envelopes, and enacting automatic voter registration.

The full text of The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is available HERE.

A section-by-section summary of the bill is available HERE.

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