On the Pro-Democracy Bill HR 1, We Can’t Accept Any Compromises
Passing HR 1, the For the People Act, is a key step toward building a multiracial democracy where the working-class majority actually sees its priorities reflected in government policy. We can’t accept the kind of compromises centrists like Joe Manchin are pushing.
People line up to vote at a shopping center in Las Vegas, Nevada, 2020. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
On Tuesday, Senate Republicans filibustered the motion to proceed to debate on the For the People Act (FTPA), the most significant electoral democracy bill in decades. The FTPA, also known as HR 1 and S 1, contains dozens of measures that would bring us closer to achieving a multiracial democracy where the working-class majority actually sees its priorities reflected in government policy.
Because the bill is so sweeping, it’s worth detailing some of its key provisions.
For starters, the FTPA would curtail the worst forms of voter disenfranchisement after decades of assaults on the right to vote. The bill restores the voting rights of millions of formerly incarcerated people (overwhelmingly poor and working-class, and disproportionately black, Latino, and indigenous); undercuts voter ID laws by permitting voters who lack adequate identification to complete sworn written statements that attest to their identities; and blocks discriminatory purges of voter rolls while boosting penalties for illegal voter intimidation.
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.