We're still fighting the same battle for the ballot

You can take action towards making freedom ring throughout this land

Good morning bread friends.

Today, I’m going to remind you that our democracy hangs in the balance as Congress decides whether or not to protect voting rights for all Americans. Here is your link to pre-order bread for Thursday pickup… but I trust you’ll keep reading still.

Yesterday was the federal holiday when we honor the life and legacy of Reverand Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. When I was in politics, this was often a busy day and a busy weekend for me. Attending or volunteering at events hosted by the city, events hosted by local nonprofits, and the annual event sponsored by the state of Wisconsin that has been running for 40+ years now. Events like these are filled with a spirit of hope and appreciation. Weekends filled with events like this can be quite fulfilling for an extrovert like me, who gets so much energy from being around people - especially from being around cool people with good energy like what exists in these rooms.

10 years ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with Michelle Alexander (author of The New Jim Crow) before her speech in the capitol rotunda at the 31st Annual State of Wisconsin Tribute & Ceremony Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

But as life has become less busy over the past few years, I’ve really come to appreciate the value of being still and reflective.

With my newfound stillness, on a day like Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I find that I can experience emotions like hope and appreciation from a more personal perspective. Recognizing that so much of my life I owe to the sacrifices of not only Dr. King, but the sacrifices that his wife Coretta made, and those made by countless others in the Civil Rights movement… I try to reflect on my own life, and how my work today can tie into the legacy for justice that they fought, prayed, and died for.

From a policy perspective, the signature achievement of the Civil Rights movement was the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The VRA removed obstacles to voting, including poll taxes and literacy tests. It also put in place federal examiners and observers that registered millions of African Americans to vote, and ensured the safety of the ballot box. And outlawed various other bureaucratic restrictions designed to disenfranchise African Americans to vote, namely requiring what is called “preclearance” of any changes to state or local voting laws in states that have a history of overt disenfranchisement of voting rights for (African-) American voters.

Because the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was the most significant statutory change in the relationship between the Federal and state governments in the area of voting since the Reconstruction period following the Civil War, it was immediately challenged in the courts. Between 1965 and 1969, the Supreme Court issued several key decisions upholding the constitutionality of Section 5 and affirming the broad range of voting practices for which preclearance was required.

Until 2013, when the Supreme Court sided with the people of Alabama in Shelby County vs Holder.

The Brennan Center (to who we are donating 100% of our profits this month) tracks voting laws changes, and they report that just in the last year, lawmakers have enacted at least 34 laws with restrictive provisions in 19 states. Overall, legislators have introduced more than 440 bills with restrictive provisions in 49 states.

It is not hyperbole to say that voting rights are under attack today.

So, what can we do about it? Well, ever since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, it has been back in the hands of Congress to ratify a law to protect voting rights in this country. Last week the House of Representatives passed, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act (link to the text of actual bill). If this bill is also passed by the US Senate, it will mark the most significant protection to voting rights in our country in my lifetime.

If passed in the Senate, this legislation would require states with a recent history of voter discrimination to receive preclearance (this time with updated standards) from the Department of Justice before passing new state and local election laws, just as they did before Shelby County v. Holder.

The bill would also expand automatic and same-day voter registration, force disclosure of dark money donations to political campaigns, protect elections from foreign interference, end partisan gerrymandering and it creates funds to support investments in civic education and voting infrastructure.

So my ask of the Bread & Justice community is to get in the game to protect our democracy. Help support the passage of this law which seeks to reduce corrupt electioneering and protect the enfranchisement of Americans to vote.

Call your Senator this week. You can find who that is, and find their number here.

While it is impossible for many of us to know exactly what actions we would have been willing to take in the 60s to stand up for voting rights for people who look like me… it is up to you to decide what action you’re willing to take today, as the fight for voting rights continues in this country.

Thanks for being about justice.

Cheers,
Mo