Courtney Statement on House Passage of John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) voted to pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would help ensure every American has equal access to vote and participate in our democracy without interference, and would set nationwide standards for voting access that guarantee the right to vote. In addition to today's legislation, the House also passed the John R. Lewis Voting Right Act (H.R. 4) in August 2021, and the For the People Act (H.R. 1) in March 2021, which also included efforts to improve election security, access, and transparency.

"Today the U.S. House exercised its explicit duty under Article One, Section Four of the Constitution to protect the right to vote for all Americans," said Congressman Courtney. "The Freedom to Vote: John Lewis Act renews the 1965 Voting Rights Act protections against voter discrimination that is urgently needed. 19 states have passed 33 voter suppression laws in the wake of the 2020 election that curtail early voting, mail-in voting, shrink the number of polling places, and astonishingly in Georgia criminalizes the distribution of water and food to voters waiting in line to vote. As our nation prepares to observe the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King on Monday, passing this measure in both the House and the Senate will be the most meaningful and substantive way to honor his sacrifice and legacy."

The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act combines two pieces of vital democracy-promotion legislation: the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act will set national voting standards, stop partisan gerrymandering on both sides of the aisle, and protect the integrity of our elections. Specifically, the bill will:

• Expand automatic voter registration and same-day registration;
• Set a national standard for no-excuse vote by mail for every eligible voter;
• Protect against unlawful and faulty voter purges, while allowing states to accurately maintain their voter registration lists;
• Expand early voting by requiring states to offer early voting at least two weeks prior to Election Day;
• Enhance protections individuals with disabilities;
• Make Election Day as a national holiday;
• Provides standards for voter identification, which require uniform national standard for states that require identification for in-person voting and allows voters to present a broad set of identification cards and documents in hard copy and digital form;
• Prevent partisan election subversion by restricting the politicized removal of election officials and enhance the protections for election records, including ballots and voting systems;
• Prohibit the dissemination of false and misleading information designed to dissuade eligible voters from casting a ballot;
• Improve election security by requiring post-election audits and voter verifiable paper records of a votes;
• Protect elections from foreign interference;
• End partisan gerrymandering;
• Promote digital ad transparency;
• Force disclosure of dark money; and
• Establish a self-sustaining democracy trust fund to support state-directed democracy promotion activities.

In addition, this bill contains the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which corrects the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which held the Voting Rights Act Section 4 preclearance coverage formula to be unconstitutional and responds to the call from the Chief Justice for a formula that reflects current conditions. This division also includes the Native American Voting Rights Act, which protects the rights of Native Americans to vote and addresses the barriers experienced by voters living on tribal lands.

###