Saunders: ‘It has never been more urgent to act swiftly to protect our voting rights’

WASHINGTON — AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement on House passage of H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which restores the protections of the bipartisan Voting Rights Act of 1965:

“We applaud the House for rising in defense of our democracy by passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to combat the disenfranchisement of communities of color. As states across the country work to pass Jim Crow-style voter suppression laws, it has never been more urgent to act swiftly to protect our voting rights. 

“John Lewis’ dying wish was that all of us would take up the struggle and demonstrate the same fearlessness in pursuit of justice that defined his lifetime of activism, and we are answering that call.

“AFSCME has launched a year-long campaign in partnership with key civil rights and labor groups to organize and mobilize our communities to become voting rights champions – especially in states where there have been extreme attacks on voting rights, such as Texas, Florida and Georgia. We will be holding community events and town halls like we did this weekend in cities across the country and canvassing our friends and neighbors to engage them on the importance of defending access to the ballot box. 

“This weekend on the 58th anniversary of the March on Washington, we will be marching once again to urge the Senate to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act. Make no mistake – the very foundations of our democracy are under siege. Until our voting rights are protected, we must continue to follow in John’s footsteps and get into some good trouble.”