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Voting Rights Are Civil Rights: Letting Our Senators Know Where We Stand

08/03/2021 02:56:40 PM

Aug3

The Union for Reform Judaism’s Religious Action Center (RAC) is working to enact national standards for voting, to ensure that everyone can vote and every vote is counted. As Reform Jews, our tradition teaches us that we want a transparent process we can trust, where all Americans have equal freedom to vote. For these reasons, the Reform Movement’s top federal legislative priorities include the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

The For the People Act (HR 1/S 1) is a sweeping package to realize the promise of our democracy, get big money out of politics, ensure our freedom to vote, and guarantee that congressional districts are drawn to give fair representation for all. You can read more about it here.  

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, named in honor of the late civil rights icon and longtime congressman, aims to combat racial discrimination by restoring and strengthening the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The Voting Rights Act is a signature achievement of the civil rights movement that has been significantly weakened by Supreme Court decisions, clearing the path for the regressive and discriminatory laws that we are seeing in state legislatures today. You can read more about it here. 

Although the For the People Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act faced minimal opposition in the House of Representatives, they face resistance in the U.S. Senate. For this reason, the RAC coordinated a national campaign of direct outreach to Senate offices through virtual lobby visits during July and August. TBE member Betsy Abramson served as the RAC’s Wisconsin lobby meeting coordinator for the first meeting in Wisconsin, with Senator Tammy Baldwin. 

On July 26, Reform Jews from eight of the nine congregations across Wisconsin participated in a Zoom call with Samuel Martin, a member of Senator Tammy Baldwin’s staff. We were joined by representatives of other Jewish congregations and organizations, interfaith supporters, disability rights groups, and voting rights and aging organizations—100 people in all—asking Senator Baldwin to make these bills a top priority. Our speakers included Barbara Beckert of Disability Rights Wisconsin and Disability Vote Coalition, a member of Temple Shalom in Milwaukee, who gave her front-line perspective based on assisting voters over the last few elections; Rabbi Bonnie Margulis of Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice and the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Coalition, summarized the impact of the bills and talked about how the filibuster is preventing debate and resolution. Rabbi Benjamin Altschuler of Mt. Sinai Congregation in Wausau, spoke about the Jewish teachings that underlie our long-standing commitment to securing everyone’s right to vote.

David Wolfson, social justice activist and member of Congregation Shalom in Milwaukee, asked about Senator Baldwin’s views on the bills and the possibilities for reforming the filibuster. Mr. Martin responded that Senator Baldwin is a strong supporter who has been working with her colleagues to get the bills passed, and she will continue talks with any senators who are on the fence. Various alternatives for reforming the filibuster are under discussion, and all options are on the table for getting it passed. Betsy Abramson thanked Senator Baldwin and Mr. Martin for their commitment to working for these bills.
 
Kai Yael Gardner-Mishlove, director of the Milwaukee Jewish Community Relations Council, closed the meeting by saying that protection of the disenfranchised and the vulnerable is important to assure a vibrant and egalitarian society. For that reason the Jewish community opposes laws that have the effect of restricting the right to vote, and she emphasized that we are in this fight for the long haul. After the meeting with Senator Baldwin’s office, we discussed setting up a similar meeting with Senator Johnson in the near future.

Our work on voting rights will carry on both nationally and in Wisconsin, and both the Racial Justice Action Team and Civic Engagement Action team will be part of this effort. If you’d like to join us in working on these critical issues, please contact Betsy Abramson at 608-332-7867 or betsyabramson@gmail.com.

Want to know more?

  • To learn more about the history of the filibuster and how this tradition impacts the passage of these two bills, see the URJ’s resolution on reforming the filibuster to promote debate without endangering other rights. For an argument that the filibuster should simply be abandoned, see this perspective from the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Coalition.
  • A recent report details the problems that Wisconsin residents have faced accessing the vote in past elections and the additional problems they may face in the future if certain proposals go through. See “Voting Rights Are Human Rights: In Our Own Voices,” a report from the Disability Vote Coalition.
April 25, 2024 17 Nisan 5784