{"id":22258,"date":"2024-03-12T13:49:30","date_gmt":"2024-03-12T17:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/?post_type=press-releases&p=22258"},"modified":"2024-03-12T14:12:29","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T18:12:29","slug":"watch-sen-ossoff-introduces-legislation-establishing-first-ever-statutory-federal-right-to-vote","status":"publish","type":"press-releases","link":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/press-releases\/watch-sen-ossoff-introduces-legislation-establishing-first-ever-statutory-federal-right-to-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"WATCH: Sen. Ossoff Introduces Legislation Establishing First-Ever Statutory Federal Right to Vote"},"content":{"rendered":"

Washington, D.C.<\/strong> \u2014 U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is introducing legislation to create the first-ever affirmative Federal voting rights guarantee for all U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Sen. Ossoff introduced the Right to Vote Act <\/em>toenshrine into law American citizens\u2019 fundamental right to vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chair of the U.S. Senate Rules Committee, Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Angus King (I-ME), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) cosponsored the bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am introducing today legislation called the Right to Vote Act<\/em>. And this bill would empower voters to challenge in court any action taken by a state or local government that makes it harder to vote, and force that state or that locality to demonstrate that the restrictions serve some governmental purpose and are the least restrictive means of doing so,\u201d Sen. Ossoff said in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today on voting rights<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Ossoff\u2019s Right to Vote Act<\/em> would protect American citizens\u2019 fundamental right to vote by establishing a first-ever statutory right to vote in Federal elections \u2014 protecting U.S. citizens from laws that make it harder to cast a ballot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill allows Americans to enforce that right by challenging in court any policy that unduly restricts ballot access. States attempting to restrict voting access would have to meet a high bar to justify any policy that makes it harder for U.S. citizens to participate in Federal elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur democracy works best when Americans can make their voices heard, and as we continue to see unprecedented attacks on the right to vote in states across the country, we must take action,\u201d said Klobuchar.<\/strong> \u201cThis legislation enables voters to challenge policies that make it more difficult to cast their ballots, empowering people to protect voting rights nationwide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe right to vote is preservative of all other rights in our country because it is the framework in which all debate takes place,\u201d said Senator Reverend Warnock<\/strong>. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join my brother Senator Ossoff in introducing this critical legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs Republican-led legislatures continue to pass laws designed to suppress the right to vote and courts fail to provide a meaningful check, it is more important than ever for Congress to affirm that voters have a right to participate in our elections,\u201d said Senator Padilla.<\/strong> \u201cThe right to vote is the foundation of our democracy. When the right to vote is undermined, Americans must have a clear standard that enables them to defend their right in court.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFair and free elections are the cornerstone of our democracy,\u201d said Senator Angus King.<\/strong> \u201cAs we continue to work toward a \u2018More Perfect Union,\u2019 we must ensure every American has the right to have their voice heard at the ballot box. For the first time, the Right to Vote Act<\/em> will enshrine \u2014 in federal law \u2014 the fundamental right to vote in federal elections, and will allow U.S. citizens the right to challenge laws that make it harder to vote. In the face of state-level threats that undercut our access to the ballot booth, we must act now to protect our democratic process so we can pass our nation\u2019s tradition of self-governance on to the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe ballot box is the beating heart of our democracy, but, for far too long, some Americans have faced enormous obstacles or outright denial as they\u2019ve tried to participate in the democratic process. The Right to Vote Act <\/em>gives Americans the power to contest unfair state laws designed to make it hard for targeted communities to exercise their constitutional right to vote. This defense of voting rights is hugely needed,\u201d said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Ossoff\u2019s bill is backed by Protect Democracy, People For<\/a> the American Way, Campaign Legal Center, Lawyers\u2019 Committee for Civil Rights, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and Fair Fight Action.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe right to vote and have that vote counted is fundamental to our democracy and must exist robustly in practice, not just on paper,\u201d said Alexandra Chandler, head of the National Election Advocacy Team at Protect Democracy.<\/strong> \u201cBy creating a statutory right to vote in federal elections and requiring courts to safeguard that right \u2013 especially if governments act to make voting harder than in the past\u2013 the Right to Vote Act<\/em> fills a crucial gap in current law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe right to vote is the cornerstone of American democracy, and the Right to Vote Act helps protect it. Every eligible voter across the nation must have the freedom to fully participate in federal elections without fear of unlawful barriers created by those who want to turn us around and shut us out. The Right to Vote Act<\/em> offers a clear standard for protections against voter suppression efforts that have negatively impacted communities of color, senior citizens, students and other historically marginalized communities. Empowering voters to hold state and local governments accountable for making it harder to access the ballot is just the right thing to do,\u201d said People For the American Way President Svante Myrick.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe right to vote is a basic American freedom,\u201d said Trevor Potter, president of the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center and a Republican former chairman of the Federal Election Commission.<\/strong> \u201cAmericans of all political stripes agree that our government is supposed to be of, by, and for the people. We cannot achieve that ideal until all Americans have an equal chance to make their voice heard at the ballot box. We encourage legislators to come together to pass this bill and ensure that democracy can work for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Right to Vote Act comes at a pivotal time for our democracy, and we applaud Senator Ossoff for its introduction,\u201d said Fair Fight Action Interim CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo.<\/strong> \u201cThis year alone, we\u2019ve seen close to 300 anti-voter bills introduced across the country, and that number continues to grow. By providing national standards for voting access, The Right to Vote Act is a key piece of legislation in the fight to ensure that every voice is heard in our democracy and that our elections truly reflect the will of the people. Together, we can ensure every eligible American can safely and freely cast their ballot. We must start with the swift passage of the Right to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Ossoff continues working to protect voting rights for eligible Georgia voters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This month, Sen. Ossoff joined Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock, Dick Durbin, Leader Chuck Schumer, and colleagues in reintroducing<\/a> the John R. Lewis Voting Advancement Act<\/em>, legislation that would update and restore critical safeguards of the original Voting Rights Act of 1965<\/em> that have been eroded in recent years by federal court rulings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last month, Sen. Ossoff and a group of Senators launched an inquiry with the General Services Administration (GSA), requesting updates on the modernization of Vote.gov<\/a>, as outlined in President Biden\u2019s Executive Order in 2021.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January, Sens. Ossoff and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) introduced<\/a> the Ban Corporate PACs Act<\/em>, which would ban for-profit corporations from influencing political campaigns and Federal elections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here to watch Sen. Ossoff\u2019s remarks on today\u2019s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Click here<\/a> to read the Right to Vote Act<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

# # #<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Washington, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is introducing legislation to create the first-ever affirmative Federal voting rights guarantee for all U.S. citizens. Today, Sen. Ossoff introduced the Right to Vote Act toenshrine into law American citizens\u2019 fundamental right to vote. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chair of the U.S. Senate Rules Committee, Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22258","press-releases","type-press-releases","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/22258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-releases"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/70"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/22258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22268,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/22258\/revisions\/22268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}