The Future of Democracy Reform

By Saumya Narechania

On Monday, Senator Mitch McConnell evoked the words of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in a call for “justice” and “opportunity” for all. Perhaps McConnell isn’t familiar with these words from Dr. King: “Justice too long delayed is justice denied.”

For years, McConnell refused to bring the For the People Act (H.R. 1) to the Senate floor for a vote. This piece of historic legislation would address many of the enduring voting rights injustices that have plagued our democracy.

H.R. 1 would reinforce the cornerstone of our democracy — voting — by dismantling voter suppression, making it easier for voters to cast their ballots, and holding elected officials to higher standards of accountability. Will you help All On The Line prepare for a campaign to advocate for Congress to pass this bill?

The House has already reintroduced this bill and we expect them to vote on it soon. A version of the bill has also been unveiled for the Senate where we hope there are enough pro-democracy Senators who will help make it a law — but we’ll need to show strong public support along the way.

Another way you can help is by educating your community about democracy reforms. You can use our new letter-to-the-editor tool to submit an LTE to your local newspapers about how H.R. 1 is essential to building a more just society and strong democracy.

Here’s why H.R. 1 is even more critical now than when it was first introduced in 2019. While the insurrection at our Capitol failed to overturn the election results, some of the same seditious elected officials who encouraged this attack were also accomplices in recent attempts to chip away at our democracy by suppressing votes and eroding accountability. Democracy reform is essential to building lasting accountability in our government that will help prevent future elected officials from fueling sedition.

John Lewis, a proponent of H.R. 1, said this when the bill was introduced: “The vote is the most powerful non-violent instrument of transformation we have in our democracy… and at the foundation of our system, it must be strengthened and preserved.”