Watchdog: “How many more Americans need to lose their right to vote before Congress acts?” 

Washington, D.C. — Today, Texas senators voted to pass Jim Crow-style voter suppression legislation, clearing the path for Governor Greg Abbott to sign away voting rights for potentially tens of thousands of Texans — especially Black and Latino voters, low-income voters, and voters with disabilities. In response, government watchdog Accountable.US called on Congress to immediately pass national voting protections including the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and For The People Act that would help counter the attacks on democracy seen in Texas and states across the nation. 

“Today, Texas lawmakers decided it was worth trampling the freedom to vote of thousands of vulnerable people of color and people with disabilities to keep Trump’s Big Lie alive,” said Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US. “Rather than defend their extreme, unpopular policies to the public, these lawmakers decided to stack the deck of future elections in their favor. Every corporation that proclaimed its support voting rights but sat on its hands during this critical fight has failed its customers, shareholders, and employees. Now it’s up to Congress to move quickly to pass national voting protections that will help undo the damage done to democracy in a growing list of states including Texas, Georgia, and Arizona. How many more Americans need to lose their right to vote before Congress acts?” 

BACKGROUND: See Accountable.US’s recent report on leading U.S. corporations and executives that gave Governor Abbott millions of dollars amidst his push for legislation that would disenfranchise voters in his state — in many cases after publicly signaling their support for voter protections. The group also found that corporate leaders including AT&T, USAA, San Antonio Spurs Board Member Jim Leininger, and oil and gas company affiliated PACs and members of their corporate leadership gave thousands to Texas state senators who voted to advance the voter restrictions in early July. 

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