NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE PRESIDENT: FAILURE TO ADVANCE FOR THE PEOPLE ACT IS "A VOTE AGAINST DEMOCRACY"

NEW YORK (June 22, 2021) -- National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to tonight’s procedural vote on critical voting rights legislation:

“Members of the Senate tonight adhered to a deplorable, century-long tradition of using the filibuster to block civil rights legislation and thwart the will of the American people.

“The right to vote – a sacred right for which Americans have bled and died – is under attack in our nation’s state legislatures with a ferocity not seen since the dark days of Jim Crow.  Every Senator who voted against advancing the For The People Act tonight has cast a vote against democracy.

“The For the People Act would dismantle the racially-motivated barriers state legislatures are erecting around the ballot box, and limit the influence of a tiny minority of ultra-wealthy political donors.  Americans overwhelmingly support provisions of the Act. 

“Senator Schumer is to be commended for his efforts to bring the bill to the floor, and we encourage him – and the entire Urban League movement – to continue fighting for passage of a robust For the People Act.  

“Any final bill must:

• Remove voter ID mandates

• Promote internet, automatic, and same-day voter registration

• Restrict voter roll purges

• Penalize the spread of false election information and other voter intimidation practices

• Require at least 7 days notification for polling place changes

• Require at least 15 days of early voting for federal elections and early voting be near public transportation

“Tonight’s display of anti-democratic partisanship is further proof that the filibuster, an odious remnant of institutionalized white supremacy, must be eliminated.  We call on every Senator to heed what Lincoln called “the better angels of our nature,” and relinquish it to history.”