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1 Fact Sheet: The Freedom to Vote Act 1 (2021)

handle is hein.brennan/fshfrev0001 and id is 1 raw text is: FACT SHEET
The Freedom
to Vote Act
The bill would protect our elections
from interference, dark money, partisan
gerrymandering, and voter suppression.

O n September 14, a group of key Democratic
senators introduced the Freedom to Vote Act,
new comprehensive package of voting, redistrict-
ing, and campaign finance reforms. With the support of
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the bill's sponsors include
Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Tim Kaine, Angus King, Jeff Merkley,
Alex Padilla, Jon Tester, Raphael Warnock, and Joe Manchin.
The Freedom to Vote Act represents a major step
forward in the push to enact comprehensive legislation
to strengthen American democracy, promote racial justice
and equity for all Americans, and thwart the assault on
voting rights taking place in the states. It would set
national standards to protect the freedom to vote, end
partisan redistricting, ensure sound election administra-
tion, and fix our broken campaign finance system. The
bill includes many of the most important provisions that
were also in the For the People Act (FTPA), which passed
the House as H.R. 1 in March. Together with the John
Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (which would
restore and update the full protections of the landmark
Voting Rights Act of 1965), the Freedom to Vote Act
would be the most comprehensive democracy reform law
enacted in decades.

With congressional redistricting already underway and
the 2022 midterm campaigns set to begin in earnest
within months, there is no time to lose. Congress must
act without delay.
Key Provisions
Expanding Opportunities to Vote
Like the FTPA, the Freedom to Vote Act would create a
baseline national standard for voting access, preempting
many of the most onerous restrictions that have been
passed or proposed recently in the states and expanding
opportunities for all Americans to cast their ballots.
Early voting: Like the FTPA, the Freedom to Vote Act
would require all 50 states to offer early voting periods
for at least two weeks prior to Election Day, including on
nights and weekends, for at least 10 hours per day (except
for jurisdictions with fewer than 3,000 voters, which
would only be required to offer early voting during the
election office's regular business hours and for at least 8
hours on one Saturday and one Sunday during the early

Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law

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