Rep. Johnson's Statement on Republican Filibuster of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

Statement

Congressman Hank Johnson, Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, issued the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act from advancing in the Senate:

"Nothing is more fundamental in our democracy than the right to vote. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act protects that precious right to vote for all Americans. Once again it appears Senate Republicans -- and their statehouse counterparts -- continue to play Russian roulette with our democracy by blocking this critical legislation and enacting some of the most restrictive voting laws around the country.

"My friend, colleague and mentor Congressman Lewis bled for our right to vote. But with an activist Supreme Court's decisions in Shelby County v. Holder and Brnovich v. DNC and the perpetuation of Jim Crow 2.0 voter suppression laws across the nation, we find ourselves on the precipice of becoming a democracy in name only.

"I got arrested fighting for my constituents' right to vote and to do away with the archaic filibuster. I'll continue to fight in Congress until every Americans' right to vote is protected. Every voice deserves to be heard in this American conversation. We must pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act now."

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