August 3, 2021 - OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in urging Congress to take immediate action to protect voting rights and safeguard our democracy. Today’s action comes in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election where the then-sitting president, assisted by certain elected officials, took steps to try to directly undermine the election. In a letter to Congress, the coalition calls on legislators to act promptly — including, if necessary, to reform the filibuster — to pass federal legislation protecting against both voter suppression and election subversion.

“Voting rights are a central pillar of our democracy,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Instead of strengthening those rights, several states across the country have passed laws that create new barriers to voting or make it easier to overturn election results. These actions are a threat to the integrity of our federal elections. Now is a critical time for both our nation’s history and for our democracy. We must heed the call to action. Congress must enact legislation to prevent voter suppression and election subversion.”

Rather than standing up to the former president’s ill-conceived, deleterious attempts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election that directly contributed to the unprecedented Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, numerous elected officials across the country have instead taken steps to further efforts to undermine free and fair elections. Several states have already passed laws that create new barriers to voting or make it easier to overturn election results, often building on misinformation and flimsy claims that failed to pass muster in courts nationwide. As this concerted attack on democracy continues, the need for federal legislation to address gaps in existing legal protections is more critical than ever.

Today’s letter to Congress follows an earlier call to action issued by Attorney General Bonta urging state policymakers and criminal justice leaders across the nation to speak out against the restrictions on the right to vote being considered and passed by a number of state legislatures. A copy of that statement is available here.

In sending today’s letter, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Wisconsin, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

A copy of today’s letter is available here.
Source: CA. DOJ