End Citizens United // Let America Vote (ECU // LAV) Action Fund President Tiffany Muller released the following statement on the Senate reintroduction of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act: 

“Across the country, the right to vote is under a coordinated attack at the highest levels of government. President Trump, congressional Republicans, and Republican-controlled state houses are waging a political war to prevent Americans from accessing the ballot box. They’ve eliminated federal agencies designed to protect our elections from foreign interference, they’re threatening election workers, and they’re spewing lies about voter fraud. It’s a calculated effort to silence the American people––particularly voters of color––from holding them accountable for their reckless policies and corruption.

“The best way to defend against these attacks is the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. It will restore key protections that the extremist wing of the Supreme Court gutted and ensure that no politician can racially discriminate in our elections without consequences. This bill honors the legacy of the late Congressman Lewis not just in name, but in action.

“We thank Senator Warnock and Senator Durbin for their ongoing and tireless efforts to get this bill passed into law, and we look forward to supporting them every step of the way.”

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act will:

• Establish new review and approval criteria for preventing racial discrimination in voting.
  

• Require federal review of specific voting practices known to have been used to discriminate against voters of color.
  

• Mandate greater nationwide transparency of voting law and policy changes.
  

• Reinforce voters’ ability to challenge racial discrimination in court.
  

• Allow voters of color to challenge voting changes that worsen their position.
  

• Give the U.S. Department of Justice more authority to investigate voting rights violations.
  

• Expand courts’ roles in protecting voting rights.
  

• Expand the federal observer program.