We need the Freedom to Vote Act to Support and Sustain the Build Back Better Agenda

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Call Script

My name is __________. I am a constituent, and my zip code is _______. I am a member of Indivisible SF.

The Freedom to Vote Act, introduced by Senator Manchin’s team in September, protects voters, voting rights, and election officials nationwide. Persistent MAGA intimidation of election officials has demonstrated the urgency of passing it ASAP. Since Republicans will filibuster to block it, you will need to use a filibuster-exemption or carve out. We know that as dramatic as using the “nuclear option” may sound, it is just a parliamentary maneuver you can use to prevent the protection of our voting rights from being blocked by the minority party.

Furthermore, we trust the Senate will pass both the Build Back Better Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which will benefit every state in the union. Voters of all parties need the freedom to vote securely and safely for legislators who support those shared (and very popular) goals.

Background

The For the People Act was passed by the House and filibustered in the Senate. When that happened, Senator Manchin insisted that he could draft a voting rights bill that he felt would draw ten Republican votes because, as he said then, “January Sixth changed everything.” January 6 was nine months ago. Unfortunately, since then, things have changed for the worse—election officials are under attack and 70 percent of Republicans believe the 2020 election results were illegitimate. In September, the Manchin team (which included Senator Padilla) introduced the Freedom to Vote Act, which protects voters, voting rights and election officials nationwide. Persistent MAGA intimidation of election officials demonstrates the urgency of passing it as soon as possible. Senate Republicans will block it, so Democrats will need to use a filibuster-exemption or carve-out to get it passed. This is dramatically referred to in the media as using the “nuclear option,” but it is simply a parliamentary maneuver to prevent fundamentals like voting rights from being blocked by the minority party.

This month, Senate Democrats are trying to decipher and incorporate some changes to the Build Back Better Act that their two obstinate senators are willing to support, while we progressive groups are lobbying for all of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda to pass without dilution. But the Freedom to Vote Act is ready for a vote now. It was written under the direction of Senator Manchin, and he knows, as a former state secretary of state, just like Senator Padilla, that voting rights are fundamental to a democratic government. Protecting our national voting rights is one of the few ways we have to offset the undemocratic nature of the Senate, in which a majority of Americans (51 percent) now live in the nine largest states but get a mere 18 percent of the seats.

Furthermore, we trust the Senate will pass both the Build Back Better Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, with important features that will benefit every state in the union. Voters of all parties need the freedom to vote safely and securely for legislators who support these shared (and very popular) goals.

References

US Lawmakers Seek to Protect Election Workers After Reuters Investigation | Top News | US News, US News & World Report, 9/10/21

https://indivisiblesf.org/call-scripts/2021/9/21/senate-biden-yes-please-pass-the-freedom-to-vote-act-asap, ISF Call To Action, 9/21/21

Pass the Freedom to Vote Act, Brennan Center, 9/14/21

What is the "Nuclear Option"?, ISF Blog, 9/28/21

Build Back Better Act, Indivisible SF Calls to Action:

Two Senators per State: A Recipe for Minority Domination, from Second-Rate Democracy, a project of Douglas J. Amy, Professor Emeritus of Politics, Mount Holyoke College

The Evolution of Voting Rights in America | The National Constitution Center, 5/27/21

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