Today, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02) released the following statement after the House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 1, the For the People Act.
"We must work to make it easier -- not harder -- for Americans to fully participate in the democratic process and exercise their right to vote. We have a responsibility to the American people and to our democracy to address the decades of partisan gerrymandering, voter suppression, and special interest dark money that have plagued our elections for too long.
"Granite Staters want real accountability from their elected officials. The For the People Act will expand access to the ballot box by breaking down institutional barriers to voting and bolster federal support for voting system security to ensure we are safeguarding every vote. Importantly, this legislation ends partisan gerrymandering to ensure that the American people are picking their elected representatives, and not the other way around. Free and fair elections should not be a partisan issue, and I'm proud to support this transformational, forward-looking package for the good of our democracy."
H.R. 1 will:
Fight big money in politics: take on the power of special interests, end dark money, and ensure public officials are working in the public interest.
Expand voting rights: ensure we have secure, accurate elections and stop voter suppression efforts designed to stop people from voting based on who they will vote for.
End extreme partisan gerrymandering: create a non-partisan, open process to draw transparent and fair congressional district maps.
Hold elected officials accountable: implement tougher ethics laws to ensure elected officials are held accountable.
Rep. Kuster has been a strong advocate for more transparency in our elections and expanding access for Americans to exercise their right to vote. In the 116th Congress, Rep. Kuster supported and helped develop a previous version of this legislation.
The full text of this legislation is available here.