10/20/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/20/2021 17:25
U.S. Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement after Senator Mitch McConnell blocked a motion to proceed to debate on Tester's Freedom to Vote Act:
"Free and fair access to the ballot box for eligible voters is a cornerstone of our democracy, and my Freedom to Vote Act would ensure that every Montanan is able to make their voice heard. I am frustrated that Senator Mitch McConnell and his followers today blocked this commonsense legislation that would protect Montanans' right to vote while also allowing states to maintain local control over their elections, keep our elections safe in the face of new and evolving threats, shine a light on dark money in politics, and close loopholes that open the door to foreign spending on elections. I am going to keep fighting to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and ensure that every eligible Montana voter can make their voice heard at the ballot box."
Tester worked with his colleagues to draft the Freedom to Vote Act to address increasing attacks on access to the ballot box, including efforts in Montana to end same-day registration and make it harder for college students to vote. The bill also includes many of Tester's longtime priorities to clean up and secure elections, including:
Voting Rights
Campaign Finance Reform
Election Integrity
In addition to the Freedom to Vote Act, Tester, who is the founder of the Senate Transparency Caucus, is pushing several other measures to bring more accountability and transparency to campaigns, including the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would defend Montanans' fundamental right to vote by restoring protections under the Voting Rights Act and take aim against measures that states use to make it more difficult for eligible voters to cast their ballot.
Tester also recently reintroduced his Corporations Are Not People Constitutional Amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and declare that corporations are not people; his Sunlight for Unaccountable Non-Profits (SUN) Actto increase transparency in online political advertising and require political non-profits to publically disclose their major donors; and his Cleaning Up Washington's Act to help "drain the swamp" and close the revolving door between special interest lobbyist and Members of Congress.