Voters Rest Easy Knowing Senate Democrats Stood Up Once Again to Protect Our Progress, Reject Voter Suppression Bills
Richmond, Virginia—Continuing their streak, Senate Democrats on the Privileges and Elections Committee stood up today to protect our progress on voting rights, voting to shut down a slew of voter suppression bills sponsored by Republican Senators. Virginia moved from 49th to 12th in the country for voting rights by enacting several voting rights laws to make accessing the ballot box easy for everyone. We won’t let Republicans afraid to lose their grip on power make it harder for us to vote.
“We’re grateful that members of the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee put a stop to Republican voter suppression tactics,” LaTwyla Mathias, Executive Director at Progress Virginia, said. “No matter our race, background, or zip code, most of us believe that for democracy to work for all of us, it must include all of us. We must ensure that all of us can cast our ballot so we are able to elect leaders who govern in our interests and make the promise of our democracy real for everyone.”
Votes:
Bill we are in support of:
- The Senate Committee voted to pass these bills.
- Commonly referred to as the Right to Vote amendment, this is a constitutional amendment that revises the qualifications of voters and ensures that everyone has the right to vote, including returning citizens upon their release from incarceration.
Bills we oppose:
SB127 requires a photo ID before someone can vote.
- The Senate Committee voted to reject this bill.
- A photo ID requirement disproportionately impacts people of color and places an unnecessary barrier in front of a person’s ability to easily participate in democracy.
- Democrats repealed this requirement when they were in charge and Republicans were attempting to put it back in place.
SB162 requires the matching of name, date of birth, and social security number ballot verification with information found on the Social Security Administration database prior to permitting a person to vote.
- The Senate Committee voted to reject this bill.
- This would lead to many errors that would result in qualified voters being denied the ability to make their voices heard in our elections.
SB167 repeals same day voter registration currently slated to take effect this year.
- The Senate Committee voted to reject this bill.
- This bill would prohibit any person who is qualified to register to vote from registering on the same day of the election.