January 05, 2022

Voting Rights Battle to Continue in 2022

After passing 33 laws of restricting voting in 19 states in 2021, Republicans in at least five states — Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and New Hampshire — are working to pass even more voter suppression laws during their 2022 legislative sessions.

Two federal voting rights bills to counter the state-level laws, the For the People Act (H.R. 1) and the Freedom to Vote Act (S. 2747) are stalled in the Senate. Members of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,’s family, backed by dozens of allied organizations, plan to use the upcoming Martin Luther King Holiday to highlight the need for stronger action to protect the right to vote.

They have planned a series of marches beginning January 15 in Phoenix and ending two days later in Washington, D.C., on the official holiday.

“Protection of our voting rights is essential to our democracy,” said President Roach. “We need to make it easier to vote in the 2022 and 2024 elections, not harder.”

The Texas and Florida state Alliances have filed lawsuits to block the voter suppression bills passed in those states in 2021. A federal judge in Florida dismissed the state’s attempt to stop the suit. A trial is scheduled to begin in early 2022.