SEIU’s Henry: Senate GOP’s obstruction of the Freedom to Vote Act will not silence the voices of working people

WASHINGTON, DC -- Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Mary Kay Henry released the following statement today after a motion to proceed to debate on the Freedom to Vote Act — a legislative package addressing voting rights, racial gerrymandering, and powerful big money special interests groups  —   failed in the US Senate:

“No matter what you look like,  where you’re from or what you do for a living, we all want to have an equal say in how our country runs. That’s why working people turned out in record numbers to cast ballots last year to rebalance power in our democracy and economy. By failing to move the Freedom to Vote Act forward, Republican Senators have once again shown they have no problem with the hundreds of racist and undemocratic legislative attacks on voters happening around our country.

“While today’s filibuster was intended to be another roadblock for voting rights, Republican leaders only sounded an alarm for those of us fighting against these Jim Crow 2.0 laws.  Our ability to protect our families and earn a living wage hinges on everyone’s ability to participate fully and be counted in our country. The Freedom to Vote Act is the bold action needed to end this assault on our voting rights, we cannot let the arcane rules of the Senate block the will of the American people.

“SEIU members, worker leaders in the Fight for $15 and a Union, and our allies will not let today’s inaction by the Senate silence us. We will keep fighting for an inclusive multi-racial democracy where we all can participate, no matter where we are from or what race we are. We will continue to demand the bold and immediate reforms from the federal government needed to ensure the voices and votes of Black, Brown, and Asian Pacific Islander families targeted by these anti-voter bills are still heard in city halls, state capitals and Washington, DC. Those elected officials and corporations who support these racist, anti-voter efforts will also be held accountable for their role in the attacks on our democracy."

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