With state legislative bodies back in session for the year, many policymakers are scrambling to form new voter suppression laws. After a highly divisive election year when our democratic values were tested as a nation, it is important now more than ever to pass the federal For the People Act (also known as H.R. 1) to squelch this encroachment of our civil liberties. The House has already taken swift action to implement these vital reforms, and the Senate must do the same in order to safeguard our sacred democratic elections.
The bill closes loopholes and breaks down barriers that prevent fair and equitable access to the ballot box while modernizing our aging election infrastructure through improved security provisions. Systematic mechanisms of voter suppression, like partisan gerrymandering and voter roll purging, have no place in a 21st-century democracy. Not only this, but the legislation establishes ethics guidelines and oversight for dark money groups and PACs, finally batting back the overwhelming influence big money often has over our elected representatives.
Many critics of this bold reform peddle conspiracies of election fraud, but let us not forget that this mantra led to the deadly insurrection on the Capitol. The full passage of H.R. 1 will help our nation heal by restoring trust in our electoral systems. I call on our bipartisan slate of senators, Angus King and Susan Collins, to put party alliances aside and do what is best for election integrity and support the For the People Act.
Brunswick
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