In July 2023, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Representative John Sarbanes (D-MD-3) reintroduced the Freedom to Vote Act. As state legislatures across the country introduce and pass bills designed to restrict access to the ballot box, this bill would protect the freedom to vote by establishing national standards for federal elections and ensuring that voter registration and voting options are equally accessible across the United States. 

Urge Congress to support the Freedom to Vote Act and make the promise of democracy real for us all. 

Background 

Following the Supreme Court decisions in Shelby County v. Holder and Brnovich v. DNC that weakened federal voting rights protections, state legislatures across the country introduced hundreds of restrictive voting laws, enacting nearly 100 during the past decade (including a near-record number in the first half of 2023 alone). Many of these laws implement strict voter ID requirements, limit early voting and mail-in voting, close polling places, and delete people from voter rolls. These laws disproportionately restrict voting rights for People of Color, people with disabilities, voters in low-income and rural communities, elderly voters, and young and first-time voters. As Americans continue to face barriers to exercise their right to vote, we must take steps to ensure that every voice is heard, and elections reflect the will of the people.   

The Freedom to Vote Act (H.R. 11/ S. 1) protects and expands voting rights, ends partisan gerrymandering, implements critical campaign finance reforms, and helps safeguard our electoral process. Specifically, the bill:

• Increases opportunities for eligible Americans to easily register to vote in federal elections through online voter registration, automatic registration when interacting with government agencies, and same-day voter registration. 
• Expands early in-person voting and voting by mail to ensure that every American has equal access to these options no matter where they live. 
• Restores the right to vote for formerly incarcerated people who have completed their sentences. 
• Ends partisan gerrymandering for redistricting U.S. House districts and ensuring that all states comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 so that voters pick their leaders rather than leaders picking their voters. 
• Invests in modernizing America’s election systems and ensuring votes are recorded on paper ballots that can be accurately recounted. 

 Jewish Values 

Jewish tradition teaches us that the selection of leaders is not a privilege but a collective responsibility. Rabbi Yitzchak taught that “a ruler is not to be appointed unless the community is first consulted” (Babylonian Talmud, B’rachot 55a). In keeping with the insight of this teaching, it is the duty of all who cherish democracy to ensure that all Americans are afforded the opportunity to vote and have their votes counted. The Reform Jewish Movement, long believing that the freedom to vote is fundamental to American democracy, strongly supports legislation that protects the rights of all citizens to exercise the right to vote. 

For More Information 

For more information on this issue, contact Eisendrath Legislative Assistant Noé Granados at ngranados@rac.org.  

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