[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 123 (Tuesday, July 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Freedom to Vote Act

  Mr. President, on the Freedom to Vote Act, in just a few minutes, I 
will be joining a group of my Democratic colleagues to mark the 
reintroduction of the Freedom to Vote Act.
  The Freedom to Vote Act rests on a simple yet fundamental principle: 
All Americans, no matter where they live, should have the freedom to 
vote without fear of discrimination.
  Our bill will set basic standards for Americans to vote safely and 
securely and help instill confidence that our Nation's elections are 
free and fair.
  I want to thank Senators Klobuchar, Kaine, and Warnock for their good 
work on putting this bill together, as well as my House colleagues, led 
by Leader Jeffries.
  While Democrats are actively working to expand access to the ballot 
box, MAGA Republicans in the House, unfortunately, are doing exactly 
the opposite. Last week, House Republicans introduced and advanced 
through committee the most restrictive voting rights package we have 
seen in decades. The Republican package would make voting harder for 
millions of Americans by creating more barriers to the ballot box, 
including new obstacles to voter registration and mail-in voting.
  The Republican package would allow the scourge of dark money to 
fester in our politics by loosening campaign finance safeguards and 
empowering wealthy, wealthy donors.
  Let me be clear. Let me be very clear. Democrats will never allow 
this Republican package to become law and, instead, will focus our 
efforts on commonsense, real voting rights legislation like the Freedom 
to Vote Act.