Federal protections needed for our right to vote

Across the nation, and in Wisconsin, our voting rights are under attack. We have seen multiple attempts, many of them successful, to suppress the rights of voters. Things like limiting opportunities for early voting and adopting burdensome barriers for casting absentee ballots. In Wisconsin, legislators tried to add hurdles for eligible voters to cast their ballots. They approved bills bills to limit absentee voting and restricting local officials’ abilities to administer elections. They even called for the Legislature to take over the administration of elections. Wisely, governor Evers vetoed these measures. But this is happening in a number of states, and that is why 16 governors, including Governor Evers, have sent a letter to congressional leaders calling for federal legislation to protect voting rights and the right of every eligible voter to cast a ballot. Specifically, they are calling on Congress to adopt the Freedom to Vote Act, and the John Lewis Voting Rights advancement Act. Both would help ensure fairness in our elections and fight back against voter suppression efforts. Ensuring every eligible voter has a right to cast a ballot shouldn’t be a partisan issue. It should be an American issue. That is why Congress should approve these bills and ensure that federal law protects the rights of all eligible citizens to vote.