Hirono introduces Right to Vote Act

US Sens. Mazie Hirono of Hawaiʻi and Jon Ossoff of Georgia introduced the Right to Vote Act, which would create the first affirmative federal voting rights guarantee for all eligible citizens.

The measure comes 13 years after the US Supreme Court ruled in Shelby County v. Holder that an enforcement mechanism for the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was unconstitutional. The ruling made it harder for the federal government to block discriminatory state voting laws before they take effect. As a result, election rules — from voter ID to registration deadlines — vary widely from state to state.

According to Hirono and Ossoff, “the Trump Administration continues to threaten the voting rights of millions of Americans nationwide, (and) this legislation would enshrine the fundamental right to vote into law.”

Hirono said: “Nothing is more fundamental to our democracy than ensuring that all citizens can exercise their fundamental right to vote. Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans know their agenda is deeply unpopular, but instead of delivering for the American people, they are working overtime to disenfranchise millions of voters who have the constitutional right to vote them out of office. By empowering voters to fight back against restrictions on their voting rights, this legislation will help ensure that every voice can be heard on Election Day.”

The Right to Vote Act would protect American citizens’ fundamental right to vote by establishing a first-ever statutory right to vote in federal elections — protecting US citizens from laws that make it harder to cast a ballot. This legislation would allow Americans to enforce that right by challenging in court any policy that unduly restricts ballot access. States attempting to restrict voting access would have to meet a high bar to justify any policy that makes it harder for US citizens to participate in federal elections.

Hirono said she has also consistently fought back against repeated attempts to disenfranchise millions of voters.

Following the Supreme Court’s Callais decision, which effectively gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Hirono raised alarms about agenda of the Supreme Court majority that would dilute the voting power of minorities, influencing elections for years to come.

In March, on the Senate Floor, Hirono opposed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility America Act which, unlike its name suggests, would make it significantly harder for Americans to exercise their right to vote. In her speech, she highlighted how the proposed legislation would prevent millions of American citizens—including servicemembers and their families, married women and those without a passport— from being able to vote.

In addition to Senators Hirono and Ossoff, the Right to Vote Act is co-sponsored by Sens. Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Angus King (I-ME), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Alex Padilla (D-CA).