FIGHT TO SECURE THE FREEDOM TO VOTE HEATS UP–TWO KEY BILLS BEFORE THE SENATE

WHY:

Two key bills being considered in Congress — For the People Act or S.1, and the John L. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — would set national standards for voting access in America and strengthen protections against racial discrimination at the ballot box. At the same time, lawmakers in 47 states have introduced hundreds of bills that will create barriers to voting for people of color, seniors, and young people.  As voting battles rage, leading civil rights experts and advocates explain what’s at stake for ethnic voters and what the chances of passage are.

WHO:

• Tom Saenz, President and General Counsel, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
• John C. Yang, President and Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
• Jacqueline De León, Staff Attorney, Native American Rights Fund
• Wendy Weiser, Vice President, Democracy, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law
• Hilary Shelton, Washington Bureau Director and Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Policy, NAACP