07.01.21

Cantwell Statement on US Supreme Court Decision on Arizona Election Laws

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold restrictive voting laws recently enacted in the State of Arizona:

“Voting is fundamental to our democracy. Americans’ voting rights must be protected. The Elections Clause, Section 1 Article 4 of the US Constitution, gives Congress the power to override state laws to protect voting rights in federal elections such as mandating the counting of all provisional ballots. We must pass new federal laws to protect our Constitutional rights now!” 

Senator Cantwell has been a long-time advocate of investment to improve voting access and election security to make sure every American citizen has the ability to vote. In June, Cantwell spoke on the Senate Floor in support of the For the People Act to uphold constitutionally protected voting rights. Cantwell cosponsored the For the People Act and joined her colleagues in introducing the legislation in March 2021.

In July 2020, Senator Cantwell joined a bipartisan group of colleagues in introducing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act —to restore and strengthen the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act. In January 2021, Cantwell introduced the Vote At Home Act to expand vote-by-mail ballot access, providing voters with pre-paid ballot return envelopes, and enacting automatic voter registration.

Video of Senator Cantwell’s floor speech on theFor the People Act is available HERE, audio is HERE, and a transcript is HERE.

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