To Fight for Our Voting Rights, We Need to Demand End to the Filibuster!
By MUUSJN on Saturday, October 23rd, 2021
Call Senator Debbie Stabenow: 202-224-4822 & Senator Gary Peters: 202-224-6221
Call Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Chair, Senate Rules Committee: 202-224-3244
Or email her: https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/email-amy
Urge Them to Champion Ending the Filibuster Rule
Don’t let Senate Continue to Be a Graveyard for Justice
The tail “wagged the dog” — again — on Wednesday, October 20th when the Freedom to Vote Act was blocked by a Senate minority party filibuster rule that requires 60 votes for a policy to be adopted in the Senate. The Freedom to Vote Act, developed by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin in hopes of getting bi-partisan support, fell to an undemocratic filibuster power play. Other transformational policies have also been blocked by a Senate filibuster such as: the Equality Act, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, the Women’s Health Protection Act (that protects abortion rights); and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
On October 20th, the Unitarian Universalist Association Side with Love UU the Vote campaign hosted a forum on the Freedom to Vote Act that called for contacting our Senators to stand up for the Freedom to Vote Act and to oppose the filibuster. The forum included Jennifer Lamson, the Senior Advisor for the Democracy Initiative. This organization is an “intersectional (national) coalition of 75 labor, environmental, civil rights and civic organizations” to address “urgent crises affecting our communities”. Jennifer Lamson said the filibuster is an “issue whose time has come”.
Click HERE for a the coalition’s toolkit on how to fight for filibuster reform.
During an October 20th Town Hall, President Joe Biden stated he would like to modify the filibuster to allow protection of voting rights after he gets passage of his Build Back Better human infrastructure bill. Click HERE to read a Brennan Center for Justice article on how to “Fix the Filibuster”.
The Senate Rules and Administration Committee, Chaired by Senator Amy Klobuchar, has jurisdiction over the filibuster rule. Please call or email Senator Klobuchar urging her take up abolition of the filibuster. Urge Michigan’s two Michigan Senators to publicly call for abolishing or at least reforming the filibuster.
Democracy Initiative Talking Points for Calling Michigan Senators and Senator Klobuchar:
- Democracy is under assault;
- Senate rules reform is the key to progress;
- The filibuster ensures the Senate governs for the privileged and powerful, not people;
- The filibuster is a racist remnant of a Senate designed to entrench white minority rule;
- The filibuster makes partisan gridlock worse;
- Publicly oppose the filibuster and call for its abolition or significant reform.
Category: News |