{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sewell.house.gov/2023/7/rep-sewell-joins-house-and-senate-colleagues-to-introduce-the-freedom-to-vote-act", "Rep. Sewell Joins House and Senate Colleagues to Introduce the Freedom to Vote Act", "2023-07-18", "2023", "2023-07", "Democrat", "House", "AL", "Terri A. Sewell", "S001185", "sewell.house.gov", "sewell", "https://sewell.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07), Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration Subcommittee on Elections, joined her House and Senate colleagues to introduce the Freedom to Vote Act. At a press conference in the U.S. Capitol, Rep. Sewell joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), House Committee on Administration Ranking Member Joe Morelle (D-NY), and Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) to announce the introduction of the bill which will defend our democracy against relentless attacks and expand voting access so that the voices and votes of regular Americans are heard in our elections.\n\n\u201cIt was in my hometown of Selma, Alabama where John Lewis and the Foot Soldiers shed blood on a bridge for the equal right of all Americans to vote,\u201d said Rep. Sewell. \u201cBut today, their legacy\u2014and democracy itself\u2014is under attack by extremists and election deniers who are working to subvert our elections and make it harder for Americans to vote.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Freedom to Vote Act protects the right to vote, supports local election workers, bans dark money, and ends partisan gerrymandering,\u201d continued Sewell. \u201cTogether with the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which I will introduce in the coming months, it will ensure that every American can vote in secure, accessible, and transparent elections.\u201d\n\nThe Freedom to Vote Act:\n\nProtects and Expands Voting Access: The Freedom to Vote Act makes Election Day a public holiday. It modernizes voter registration opportunities by implementing automatic voter registration; ensures voters in all states have access to online voter registration; and ensures all voters have access to same day voter registration opportunities. It sets minimum, nationwide standards for voting opportunities by setting a uniform floor of days and hours for early voting; setting minimum standards for access to ballot drop boxes; a nationwide standard of no-excuse absentee voting; and improves delivery of election mail. It also improves access for voters with disabilities and military and overseas voters.\n\nPrevents State Election Subversion: The Freedom to Vote Act supports election workers and establishes federal protections to insulate nonpartisan election officials who administer federal elections from undue partisan interference or control.\n\nCombats Dark Money and Ends Gerrymandering: The Freedom to Vote Act requires super PACs, 501(c)(4) groups, and other organizations spending money in elections to disclose donors and shuts down the use of transfers between organizations to cloak the identity of contributors. It also ends partisan gerrymandering and establishes specific criteria for congressional redistricting to ensure nonpartisan redistricting.\n\nThe bill comes as MAGA extremists continue to spread misinformation about our elections, with some refusing to even accept the results. They have also passed a wave of laws restricting the freedom to vote in states across the country, while a growing flood of corporate and dark money pollute our elections and drown out the voices of regular people.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:18:03Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sewell.house.gov/2023/7/rep-sewell-joins-house-and-senate-colleagues-to-introduce-the-freedom-to-vote-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.8275190852582455, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}