Editor’s note: This letter was written to U.S. Sens. Chris Coons and Tom Carper, both D-Del., on behalf of 26 Delaware organizations.
We write to you as a coalition of Delaware organizations, many of which are affiliated with national organizations representing millions of members. We are greatly concerned for the future of our democracy.
Right now, as you know, democracy is under attack. Anti-voter extremists and insurrectionists all over the country are chipping away at our freedom to vote in a desperate attempt to silence the voices of many voters, particularly Black and Brown Americans. We strongly support the For the People Act because it would establish national standards, so that no matter what we look like, where we live or what we believe, our votes will be counted on Election Day. It would also break the grip of big money in politics and crack down on corruption. We urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to do whatever it takes to get the For the People Act to President Joe Biden’s desk for a signature, even if that means the elimination of the filibuster.
As Delawareans, we are alarmed to see that anti-voter extremism has come to the First State. More specifically, despite months of advocacy by voters all over the state, the General Assembly has been unable to pass an amendment to the state constitution that would allow for no-excuse absentee voting, due to the rise of toxic partisanship in Dover. Consequently, come 2022, Delawareans may not have the choice to vote from home. Moreover, the anti-voter contingent has also introduced a number of bills designed to create additional barriers to voting.
The bipartisan For the People Act would provide a solution at the national level that would eliminate the need to fight the same battle for democracy in all 50 states. We call the For the People Act “bipartisan” because it has support of voters in both parties.
But while the For the People Act has bipartisan support across the country, that is not the case in the U.S. Senate. Last month, we were chagrined to observe all the Republican senators band together to block the bill from even being debated, especially after Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia reached across the aisle and offered concessions that specifically addressed Republican concern. Sadly, one person — Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. — has fueled hyper-partisanship to prevent passage of this bipartisan voter-supported bill. As Senate minority leader, he seeks to torpedo the For the People Act — and most likely many other bills the American people support.
We cannot allow the minority leader to call the shots, and the only way to stop him is to fix the filibuster. President Biden was correct when he agreed with President Barack Obama that the filibuster is “a relic of the Jim Crow era.” For example, frequently used by pro-slavery senators before the Civil War, the filibuster prevented the passage of over 200 anti-lynching bills over the years. In fact, until 1964, civil rights bills were the only category of bills routinely stopped by the filibuster. Even the Civil Rights Act of 1964, one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in American history, was blocked for more than two months before the filibuster was finally broken. Given this history, why should the filibuster be preserved?
We believe, simply put, that protecting the freedom of the American people — all of us — is much more important than preserving a Senate rule, favored by supporters of Jim Crow, that isn’t even in the Constitution. In fact, the Framers considered, and rejected, supermajority requirements to pass legislation. Thus, we ask that you take the lead in moving the Senate beyond obstructionism by working with your colleagues to fix the filibuster, so that it cannot be the barrier it is now. It must be modified, so we can pass the For the People Act and make the United States the great democracy it claims to be.
We greatly appreciate your sponsorship of the For the People Act and your votes for cloture on the motion to proceed last month. And we would like to meet with you to learn what steps you are planning to take to address the filibuster, so we can move the bill forward.
Sherri Evans-Stanton
Sierra Club, Delaware chapter
Claire Snyder-Hall
Common Cause Delaware
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees’ Council 81
American Promise Delaware
Building People Power Campaign
Common Cause Delaware
Delaware Democratic Socialists of America
Delaware Get Money Out
Delaware Hispanic Commission
Delaware Interfaith Power and Light
Delaware Poor People’s Campaign
Delaware United
Delaware Women for Inclusion
Delaware Working Families Party
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Wilmington chapter
Equality Delaware
Indivisible Highlands & Beyond
League of Women Voters of Delaware
Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League
Network Delaware
Planned Parenthood of Delaware
Progressive Democrats for Delaware
Sierra Club, Delaware chapter
Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice
Stand Indivisible
Unitarian Universalist Delaware Advocacy Network
Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware
Women’s March Sussex-Delaware
