Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #RestoreTheVOTE
Most recents (8)
Today, with enormous pride and endless gratitude for those who marched here before me, I will be standing at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama to announce the introduction of #HR4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, in the 117th Congress. 
I know I don't stand here alone. I stand on the shoulders of the countless brave men and women who fought, bled, and died here before me so that every American, regardless of their background, could enjoy the most sacred and fundamental right our nation offers—the right to vote.
As history teaches us, progress is elusive. Today, old battles have become new again as we face the most coordinated effort to restrict the right to vote in generations & a Supreme Court keen on destroying our nation's most consequential civil rights law, the #VotingRightsAct.
7 yrs. ago today SCOTUS issued the disastrous Shelby decision, gutting the Voting Rights Act & unleashing a torrent of voter suppression. Just days ago we saw Shelby in action: sudden poll closures & long lines ALL OCCURRING in minority-heavy precincts. Coincidence? No.
We need to act fast & #ProtectOurVote by taking up & passing my bipartisan Voting Rights Advancement Act which the House ALREADY passed (#HR4) & is supported by 46 senators. My #VRAA would restore the Voting Rights Act, and in doing so, #RestoreTheVote.
Why is @senatemajldr afraid to release the #VRAA from his legislative graveyard? Empowering all Americans to vote isn't a Democratic or Republican priority; it's the American way. I urge all senators to join me in calling on Leader McConnell to allow a vote to #RestoreTheVote
1/ Classic question in public hearing on bill that would restore voting rights to individuals on parole in CT. "What about the victims?" This is horrible framing that perpetuates the "us vs. them" culture. Victims & perpetrators are often one & the same.
2/ Communities that are disproportionately affected by our unjust criminal legal system, are subsequently disenfranchised on a massive scale AND they contain both victims and perpetrators. Aside from that, voting is a RIGHT, not a privilege. #votingisaright #restorethevote
3/ We need to STOP acting like restoring victims is at odds with restoring those who have perpetrated harm or been convicted of a crime and served their time. Back to my motto - harm piled upon harm does not equal safety. It equals MORE HARM #cjreform
Thread Alert 🚨
Democracy Diverted: Polling Place Closures and the Right to Vote civilrights.org/democracy-dive… via @civilrightsorg #RestoreTheVRA
In the 6 years since Shelby County v. Holder gutted key voter protections, more than 1,600 polling sites have been closed in 13 states. It's time for Congress to act: tell them to #RestoreTheVOTE and pass the VRAA! bit.ly/PassVRAA
[THREAD] So, you ask, what do today’s #CitizenshipQuestion and #Gerrymandering decisions mean?
In the CQ case, Roberts *did* find the Voting Rights Act justification for adding the question to be pretextual. But he also wrote that Commerce’s decision to add it was supported by evidence, and was not arbitrary and capricious under the APA.
In a ‘help me help you’ moment, it seems Roberts purposely left the door open for the Trump Admin. to allow him to let the question be added. When it is, it will be challenged, and we will undoubtedly do much of this over again.
Quick thread on why the Voting Rights Advancement Act is so important
In 2013, the Supreme Court gutted Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act– making it more difficult for black and minority voters to vote
It was a direct rebuke of the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King
On this fifth anniversary of the #ShelbyCountyvHolder decision and today's ruling in #AbbottvPerez—another voting rights decision that comes at a "serious cost" to our democracy—take some time to read our "Democracy Diminished" report: bit.ly/2KiTaVD. #RestoreTheVote
In the #ShelbyCountyvHolder decision, #SCOTUS gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Section 5 acted as a crucial checkpoint for democracy, "stopping discriminatory voting laws before any election." #RestoreTheVote nytimes.com/2017/12/11/opi…
Since #ShelbyCountyvHolder, LDF has been monitoring state & local threats to voting, paying close attention to the states & localities that previously had to seek pre-approval of any voting changes as had been required by a fully-functioning #VRA. #RestoreTheVote
THREAD: It's the 5th anniversary of Shelby County v Holder, the #SCOTUS case that gutted key provisions of the Voting Rights Act. #RestoreTheVOTE 1/5
As Justice Ginsburg said in her dissent, gutting the VRA "is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet." 2/5
Since 2013, Republicans across the country have been putting up barriers to the ballot box, making voting harder for students, low-income Americans, people of color and seniors. 3/5
