Washington, DC — Today, Ezra Levin, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Indivisible, issued the following statement after the Senate Republicans filibustered a procedural vote on the For The People Act:
“Now the real fight begins. This bill did not fail. It didn’t even receive a vote because Senate Republicans chose to hide behind the filibuster and block their colleagues from debating the subject of voting rights. Mitch McConnell led his caucus to embrace the legacy of Strom Thurmond and use Jim Crow-era tactics to block debate over desperately-needed reforms to protect voting rights and return power to the people. The question now is whether congressional Democrats and President Biden join forces in order to repel the attacks on our democracy. We have reason to hope they will after the July 4th recess.
”Every Senate Democrat voted to advance voting rights. Every Senate Democrat voted to advance campaign finance reforms. Every Senate Democrat voted to advance election security. Every Senate Republican voted to refuse to even talk about these issues.
“Democratic unity on this was far from a given and speaks to the power of grassroots activism to push our country toward a more representative democracy. For years, Indivisible activists have worked to build support for this crucial reform and have secured nearly unanimous Democratic support in both Houses of Congress. At the start of this Congress, we warned about the usual Republican playbook -- performatively call for bipartisanship right before tricking Democrats into negotiating against themselves to dilute good policy, and then ultimately filibustering or voting against a negotiated bill. This is nothing new, and Americans are getting tired of watching this rerun.
“In the coming days and weeks, Americans of all stripes will show up at Deadline for Democracy events to demand the Senate immediately take up the For the People Act again when they return in July. America cannot afford for supporters of voting rights to sit on the sidelines or continue to be duped by Mitch McConnell’s political games. Every elected official, including President Biden, must be all in to do what is needed to protect our democracy from Republican attack. Democracy is under threat. Fascism is rising. Time is running out. It’s time for everyone to stop playing by Republican rules, or everyone will lose.”
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ABOUT THE INDIVISIBLE PROJECT
The Indivisible Project (501c4) is a social movement non-profit driven by a vision of a real democracy - of, by, and for the people. Indivisible began in 2016 as a viral guide to resisting Trump’s agenda. Today, the Indivisible movement is a network of thousands of local groups and millions of activists across every state. The Indivisible Project drives campaigns for bold progressive policies, lobbies Congress, and equips activists with tools to build lasting progressive power, everywhere. Together, we fight to defeat the rightwing takeover of American government and build an inclusive democracy.