Groups from Haverhill, Andover and Newburyport are joining forces Saturday to raise awareness of the Freedom to Vote and the John Lewis Voting Rights Acts.
Greater Haverhill Indivisible, Greater Andover Indivisible and Indivisible RISE-Newburyport plan a peaceful rally Saturday, Nov. 13, from 10:30 a.m.-noon, at White’s Corner, at the intersection of the Main and Water Streets, in downtown Haverhill.
“Without a functional democracy in which everyone is included and represented, all the issues we care about deeply are at risk,” said a statement from the alliance.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the Freedom to Vote Act would “set national standards to protect the freedom to vote, counter election sabotage, end partisan redistricting and fix our broken campaign finance system.” The bill was recently blocked by a Republican filibuster in the Senate.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021, which has already passed the U.S. House, but is stalled in the Senate would restore and strengthen parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 since certain portions were struck down in two U.S. Supreme Court decisions. It would restore the Voting Rights Act’s requirement that states with discriminatory past practices receive clearance before making changes to voting laws.
Indivisible MA Coalition and Swing Left Alliance plan to bring a banner and a letter for attendees to sign, asking President Joseph Biden to “do everything in his power to end the filibuster and pass the Voting Rights Act.”