The For the People Act: Separating Fact from Fiction

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Brennan Center
@BrennanCenter
The For the People Act aims to strengthen our democracy and improve voting access, but detractors are working to spread misinformation to argue against it. Here are some of the worst lies about the For the People Act.
Illustration/collage of Statute of Liberty overtop map of U.S.
The For the People Act: Separating Fact from Fiction
There’s a lot of disinformation and misinformation swirling around the landmark legislation. We set the record straight.
brennancenter.org
9:12 AM · May 13, 2021

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/people-act-separating-fact-fiction

Our democracy urgently needs repair.

The “Big Lie” of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election that motivated a violent insurrection at the Capitol has sparked an unprecedented wave of voter suppression laws in the states. The upcoming redistricting cycle threatens to once again be marred by extreme partisan gerrymandering that will distort congressional elections for a decade. And our broken campaign finance system continues to foster a widespread sense from Americans across the political spectrum that their voices simply do not count relative to big donors and entrenched interests.

These challenges are, among other things, intimately connected to our nation’s history of racial injustice, from persistent efforts to keep voters of color away from the ballot box, to gerrymandering that has repeatedly sought to dilute their political power, to the racial wealth gap that is a persistent barrier to many candidates of color raising enough funds to compete.

But today we also have a historic opportunity to strengthen American democracy.

The For the People Act, passed as H.R. 1 in the House and pending as S. 1 in the Senate, would curb voter suppression and make it easier for all Americans to register to vote and cast a ballot. It would outlaw partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts. And it would overhaul our campaign finance laws to amplify the voices of ordinary Americans, combat corruption, and make federal campaign spending more transparent. Together with the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore the full protections of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 hobbled by the Supreme Court, the For the People Act would move us measurably closer to realizing the promise of democracy for all.

Poll after poll has shown overwhelming public support for this legislation. One recent survey found 67 percent of Americans in favor, including 56 percent of Republicans and 68 percent of independents.

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