John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

5 actions! Seriously?! Yep! But they’ve all got easy scripts for you to follow and won’t take more than 30 seconds each.

Action #1: Federal Action – CALL the White House NOW and Urge President Biden to Use the Bully Pulpit to Pass S.1 – For the People Act
Action #2: Federal action – Call Feinstein EVERY DAY(!) until the S.1 – For the People Act passes the Senate.
Action #3: State Action – CALL your state senator to pass the VISION Act.
Action #4: State Action – CALL your state assemblymember to pass SB2 – Kenneth Ross Jr. Police Decertification Act of 2021.
Action #5: State Action – Dark money smackdown – Call out two assemblymembers for misusing their power.

Action #1: Federal Action – CALL the White House NOW and Urge President Biden to Use the Bully Pulpit to Pass S.1 – For the People Act

Pick an option that works for you, or make your own…

Call script option 1: In his Philadelphia speech, the President told the country about the danger to our democracy: “the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War” Since that’s the threat, he needs to do much more.
He needs to use the bully pulpit to push for filibuster reform so that the Senate can pass S.1. The choice is simple: keep the filibuster as it is, or save democracy. We elected him so he could make the right choice.

Call script option 2: (from Center for Common Ground)
Hi, my name is [NAME], and I’m calling from [CITY, STATE]. I’m calling to urge President Biden to do everything in his power to protect our freedom to vote by pressuring the Senate to overcome the filibuster and pass the S.1 – For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. These bills are common-sense reforms to unrig our political system and make sure the voices of the American people are heard. Thank you.

Call script option 3: (from Jessica Craven of Chop Wood, Carry Water):
I voted for President Biden, and am grateful for all he’s doing, but I’m calling to ask him to do much more to pressure Democrats in Congress to pass voting rights legislation—namely HR1 the For the People Act and HR4 the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. And I want him to vocally support abolishing or reforming the filibuster to get this done. If we don’t protect our ability to vote now we will never get this chance again.

Contact: 202 456 1111 (Open only Tues-Thurs, 11am-3pm Eastern)

Action #2: Federal action – Call Feinstein EVERY DAY(!) until the S.1 – For the People Act passes the Senate.

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“Democratic lawmakers in Texas staged a dramatic walkout to prevent the Republican-controlled Legislature from passing a sweeping bill to rewrite election laws in the state. Critics say the bill will lead to mass voter suppression, especially of Black and Latinx voters, by eliminating drive-thru and 24-hour voting, as well as ballot drop boxes. The Republican bill would also make it easier for elections to be overturned even if there is no evidence of fraud.“

Joe did his part. Watch his speech, or read it here.

This is the task for the rest of us…

OK, call your senators over and over. Make it as much a part of your everyday life as coffee in the morning and it will take less than a minute of your time. Phone calls and in-person meetings are the most effective ways to influence your senator, and since we need to pass this bill before August recess, calling daily now is truly crucial. We know it might feel odd to call over and over, but please know that your second and third calls are just as important as the first one.

You can go to Indivisible’s autodialer here or DIY it.

Minimal script: Hello, I’m calling from [zip code] and I’m very concerned about Senate Republicans’ use of the filibuster to block the For the People Act from passage. We cannot let Republicans hold our democracy hostage. It’s time to eliminate the filibuster to save our democracy.

Will Sen. [___] eliminate the filibuster and pass the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and all the other essential Democratic priorities? Republicans cannot be allowed to continue obstructing our government and standing in the way of progress. There’s no time to waste.

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