FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/b><\/p>\r\n
September 19,2023<\/p>\r\n
Contact: Jama Joseph, Jama.joseph@weact.org, (646) 951-1648<\/p>\r\n
WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 <\/b>Leading climate and environmental organizations today applauded Representative Terri Sewell, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and all cosponsors for re-introducing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, emphasizing its crucial role in safeguarding the public\u2019s access to fair elections and protecting the freedom to vote. They urged the Congress to quickly pass this legislation.<\/p>\r\n
This legislation would restore and modernize the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. This bill aims to protect the public\u2019s access to free and fair elections and ensure our democracy works for everyone \u2013 especially communities of color who historically carry the heaviest burden of voter suppression, environmental disasters, and climate pollution.<\/p>\r\n
Below is a statement from<\/b>:<\/b>\u00a0Clean Water Action, Climate Hawks Vote, The Climate Reality Project, Earthjustice, EDF Action, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Greenpeace USA, Interfaith Power & Light, League of Conservation Voters, The National Wildlife Federation, NextGen America, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Zero Hour<\/b><\/p>\r\n
\u201cWe commend Representative Terri Sewell, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and their cosponsors for championing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. It is a crucial bill to restore and modernize the bedrock protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that leaders like John Lewis and Martin Luther King, Jr. courageously marched and sacrificed for. A decade after the U.S. Supreme Court first weakened the Voting Rights Act, this legislation is long overdue.<\/p>\r\n
We cannot effectively tackle the critical issues our nation faces \u2014 like combating the climate crisis, advancing environmental justice, and protecting our air, lands, waters, biodiversity, wildlife, and oceans \u2014\u00a0 without fixing the broken system that caters to corporate polluters and disenfranchises too many voters.<\/p>\r\n
Unfortunately, extremist politicians are doing everything in their power to undermine voting rights and bedrock environmental safeguards that protect the air we breathe and the water we drink.<\/p>\r\n
We are calling on Congress and President Biden to stand up to the extremists who are undermining our nation\u2019s basic freedom to vote by swiftly passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. When everyone\u2019s voices are heard, we can make real progress on addressing the climate crisis, protecting the environment, and advancing justice for all.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
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