MLK Day 2022 #WeWantVotingRights
We can't celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. without protecting the right to vote. The Senate is sitting on two bills that they must pass for everyone to have a voice in deciding the future of our country. If Black, brown, and queer people can't safely vote to elect leaders who will transform the criminal punishment system, we will never #endcashbail and free the people that are suffering in cages.
This year, to honor the #MLKLegacy, tell your senators to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. Calls and emails are okay, but physical letters are the only type of communication that must be logged by congressional staff members– by law. Letters also take up physical space in their office and cannot be ignored, so we wrote one for you to use. Just fill in the addresses below and mail them!
If you live in MISSOURI, these are your senators:
Senator Roy Blunt
United States Senate
260 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Senator Josh Hawley
United States Senate
115 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
If you live in KANSAS state, these are your senators:
Senator Jerry Moran
United States Senate
521 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Senator Roger Marshall
United States Senate
479A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
If you live in a DIFFERENT STATE, you can look up your senators here. It's super easy!
Next Steps:
Copy the text below into any typing program (Word, Notes, Pages, Google Docs).
Fill out your name and address at the top.
Fill out one of your senator's names and their address under the date.
IMPORTANT: Make sure it fits on one page.
Sign your name at the bottom, print it, and put it in a stamped/addressed envelope.
Repeat these steps for your other senator.
Mail them today to honor MLK!
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YOUR NAME
YOUR ADDRESS
YOUR CITY, STATE, ZIP
January 17, 2022
The Honorable [SENATOR'S FIRST AND LAST NAME]
United States Senate
PASTE SENATOR’S ADDRESS HERE
XXX
Dear Senator [THEIR LAST NAME ONLY],
Since the removal of critical protections from the Voting Rights Act of 1965, states can engage in voter suppression with impunity. In recent years, over 400 anti-voter bills have been introduced in 48 states. These bills often target marginalized people with tactics like restricting absentee voting, removing critical voting sites, and even making it a crime to provide food and water to voters standing in line for hours at the polls. Congress must act immediately to protect the rights of every voter in our state, and across the country.
We need national standards to protect the right to vote. As your constituent, I am writing to you on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to urge you to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (S.4) and the Freedom to Vote Act (S.2747):
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (S.4) establishes legal grounds for private parties or the federal government to challenge state laws that are intended to, or have the effect of, preventing veterans, people of color, the elderly, low-income people, and people with disabilities from voting.
The Freedom to Vote Act (S.2747) makes Election Day a federal holiday, allowing more hard working Americans the opportunity to participate in the democratic process. It creates a new criminal offense for anyone who tries to interfere with or prevent another person from registering to vote, or from helping someone else register to vote. Finally, it expands necessary restrictions on campaign spending by foreign nationals.
Civil rights icons like Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis risked their lives for the right to vote. We must continue their unwavering dedication to prevent congressional districts around the country from becoming less democratic. Thank you for safeguarding our democracy by ensuring that every voice is heard.
Sincerely,
SIGN YOUR NAME HERE