Please Note: The For the People Act has been updated and renamed to the Freedom to Vote Act.

Democracy in the United States is in a state of crisis. It is critical that we act NOW to protect voting rights for every person in our country, and to ensure that every vote counts. 

Download Standard WHWN Handout Here

You can make a difference.

Call to Action: Please write your Senators now using the sample letter on the right or below, and ask them to support both the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Ask them to urge their Senate colleagues to support both bills as well, and not let the filibuster rules prevent them from passing. Please speak from your heart and insert your own words to express your concerns about voting. 

UU Grounding:

Our 5th UU Principle compels us “to advocate for a healthy, inclusive democratic process.” On June 26 the UUA General Assembly approved an Action of Immediate Witness (AIW), a resolution to Stop Voter Suppression and Partner for Voting Rights and a Multiracial Democracy. 

You can implement this resolution by supporting both the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. As UUs we affirm the sacredness and power of each person’s vote. We are deeply concerned that states today have placed many unnecessary barriers on voting, making it especially difficult for voters of color and indigenous voters to register and vote. We are equally concerned that partisan gerrymandering, along with enormous and often hidden monetary contributions, are undermining the integrity of representative government. 

We believe that both bills are critically needed to address these dangers:

• The Freedom to Vote Act will make it easier for all citizens to vote; end gerrymandering so that electoral districts are fairly drawn; and reduce the impact of big money in politics.
• The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act will restore the full protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act against discriminatory voting laws. The Voting Rights Act, which as recently as 2006 received overwhelming bipartisan support for re-authorization, has long been viewed as the key engine of voting equality in our country, but unfortunately was largely undermined by the Supreme Court in 2013.  

Time is of the essence, as efforts to make voting more difficult, especially for voters of color, have ramped up, and some states are rushing ahead with highly partisan redrawing of district boundaries. Thus, there is an urgent need to have national standards that protect everyone’s voting rights. We must do this now, before districts have been gerrymandered. Thank you for your time and interest in helping protect our democracy.