U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, joined U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) as well as voting rights advocates for a press conference to reintroduce the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, legislation that would update and restore critical safeguards of the original Voting Rights Act of 1965 that have been eroded in recent years by federal court rulings. The press conference came ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as the Trump Administration pushes Texas and other states to implement mid-decade redistricting.

The legislation would strengthen our democracy by reestablishing preclearance for jurisdictions with a pattern of voting rights violations, protecting minority communities subject to discriminatory voting practices, and defending election workers from threats and intimidation. It is named in honor of voting rights champion and former Georgia Congressman John Lewis.

Padilla highlighted the importance of passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to uphold Lewis’ legacy of standing up against voter suppression and protecting the right to vote. He criticized the Administration’s push for states like Texas to implement a gerrymandered map and rebuked the weaponization of the Department of Justice’s Voting Rights section to set up the purging of voter rolls. He also denounced the Trump Administration’s encouraging of election denialism across the country.

Key Excerpts

• “It’s an honor for me to do my part in supporting the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and not just because I considered John Lewis a friend, as many of us did — he was a hero of mine — but because he reminded us that our vote, while sacred, was never guaranteed. Our right to vote survives because good people continue to show up, to speak out, and to cause good trouble when necessary.And we could all use a little bit of John Lewis’ courage right now to push back on this Administration’s brazen attacks on our right to vote.”

• “The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Actwill put the teeth back into the Voting Rights Act of 1965because we saw the evidence: for 50 years, the law stood, the preclearance requirement stood, the teeth stood to protect our right to vote, and we’ll put it back in when we pass this bill. And we’ll build a firewall against other attacks on our right to vote.”

• “Next week marks the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Now 60 years later, voting rights remain under attack. So how can we live up to the legacy of the great John Lewis? How can we, this generation, not just of elected leaders, but the true leaders, the organizers and the advocates, live up to the legacy of the man that many people refer to as the conscience of Congress? Let me tell you how we can do that. We can organize, we can mobilize, and we can pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.”

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s damaging Shelby County decision in 2013 — which crippled the federal government’s ability under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to prevent discriminatory changes to voting laws and procedures — states across the country have unleashed a torrent of voter suppression schemes that have systematically disenfranchised tens of thousands of American voters. The Supreme Court’s decision in Brnovich v Democratic National Committee delivered yet another blow to the Voting Rights Act by making it significantly harder for plaintiffs to win lawsuits under the landmark law against discriminatory voting laws or procedures.

In addition to Senator Padilla, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is cosponsored by the entire Democratic caucus.

The bill is endorsed by 178 organizations. These organizations understand that voting rights are preservative of all other rights and progress on a range of critical issues cannot take place if citizens cannot make their voices heard.

Padilla has been a staunch supporter of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and protecting the right to vote for all eligible American citizens. Earlier this month, on the fifth anniversary of former Representative John Lewis’ passing, Padilla led his colleagues in a video tribute commemorating Lewis’ relentless defense of voting rights, fights against voter suppression, and civil rights leadership.

Padilla and Minority Whip Durbin, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also convened a Rules and Judiciary Committee Democrats spotlight forum this week titled “Protecting the Future of American Democracy: Fighting a Surge in Voter Suppression” to examine topics including the Trump Administration’s efforts to pressure Texas and other states to implement partisan mid-decade redistricting.