WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Rules and Judiciary Committees, released a statement following the Senate introduction of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

“John Lewis understood the fragility of our democracy and dedicated his life to strengthening it. The Senate must follow in his footsteps and work urgently to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to protect the sacred right to vote for generations to come.

“The Voting Rights Act, authorized and reauthorized five times by bipartisan votes of Congress, stood for decades as a guardian of our multiracial democracy. It helped guarantee communities of color their rightful voice in our democracy—until the Supreme Court’s conservative justices gravely undermined its enforcement. This year, Republican-led statehouses around the country have exploited this opening to propose and pass law after law restricting access to the ballot in response to voters of color making their voices heard in record numbers. We must restore the landmark protections of the Voting Right Act. Our democracy depends on it.”

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act passed the House of Representatives in August. Padilla is a cosponsor of the bill in the Senate.

In July, Padilla took to the Senate Floor to honor the life and legacy of Representative John Lewis by demanding the Senate take action on critical voting rights legislation—including passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

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