Call to Action: November 15, 2018

Last week’s elections provided encouragement to progressive voters, but underscored serious threats to our electoral system:

• Gerrymandered districts denied voters the ability to fairly elect their representatives
• Voter suppression tactics disguised as rules to deter voter fraud discouraged voters and may have altered election outcomes
• Enormous sums of dark money distorted races
• Insecure and unreliable voting systems and the lack of auditable paper ballots undermined public confidence

The Democrats elected to the House have said they intend to enact legislation to ensure that our elections are free and fair and that curbs are placed on public corruption. Their first legislative initiative, H.R. 1, is expected to:

• Discourage gerrymandering by requiring independent commissions to draw legislative boundaries
• Reinvigorate the Voting Rights Act, which was crippled by the Shelby County decision, and expand the franchise by mandating automatic voter registration
• Overturn the Citizens United decision that unleashed dark money in campaigns
• Subject the president to conflict-of-interest laws, require presidential candidates to release their tax returns, and expand anti-bribery provisions

We must insist that Congress push for all of these needed reforms.

The strength of our democracy depends on the integrity and strength of our electoral system.