March On Washington Celebrates 58th Anniversary As People Of Color Continue To Fight For The Basic Right To Vote
Last weekend (August 28, 2021) marked the 58th Anniversary of the March on Washington. Then the fight was for jobs and freedom, and unfortunately today’s fight doesn’t look much different. Thousands took to the streets across the country to fight for similar basic rights. And voting is one of them.
The “March On for Voting Rights” took place in a number of major cities including Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix and Houston. The question may loom just what are we fighting for. There are two major bills or acts on the table that Republican leaders have pushed against.
John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
This bill, named after the civil rights icon John Lewis, gives the federal government and minorities more power to block or challenge election rules that have been found discriminatory. According to the March On For Voting Rights website, there are nearly 400 bills (some already law) on the table that encourage voter suppression.
For example, banning ballot drop boxes and mail-in voting, reducing early voting days and hours, restricting who can get a mail-in ballot and prohibiting officials from promoting the use of mail-in ballots even when voters qualify. And sadly enough, making it a crime to distribute water to voters waiting in the long lines these laws create.
So far, the House has passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. A large majority of Republicans oppose the act.
For The People Act
This is a signature voting and election bill that Democrats pitched to counter efforts that restrict voting access. It was introduced as H.R. 1 and will:
- expand voting rights (protecting voters against discrimination)
- change campaign finance laws to reduce the influence of money in politics
- ban partisan gerrymandering
- create new ethics rules for federal officeholders
Republicans have blocked the For The People Act.
