Michael Waldman: If Enacted, the For the People Act Would Be the Most Significant Democracy Reform in Decades, the Next Great Civil Rights Bill
April 7, 2021
With the onslaught of hundreds of state voter suppression bill, the passage of the For the People Act may be the last chance to save democracy. (Thomas Cizauskas)
By Michael Waldman
The For the People Act has big goals: to protect voting rights, establish automatic voter registration, prohibit extreme gerrymandering, and curb the role of big money in politics. The bill has passed the House, has been introduced in the Senate as S.1, and is very popular with the American public. Nonetheless, at this very moment, some pundits are urging Democrats to strip the bill of some key provisions. It’s a bad idea, as I argue in this Washington Post op-ed. Keeping the measure strong is the best way to boost its chances of becoming law.
If enacted, the For the People Act would be the most significant democracy reform in decades, the next great civil rights bill. There’s no denying it faces legislative challenges. Republicans are preparing to filibuster, with Sen. Ted Cruz calling it “an all-hands moment.” Meanwhile, Democrats, realizing the bill may pass, are poring over the fine print again. This is the moment when supporters get jittery.
In response to this predictable give-and-take, some commentators have suggested dropping campaign finance, redistricting, or ethics reform from the For the People Act or splitting the big, ambitious bill into smaller ones. This may seem like savvy advice for passing the legislation, but it doesn’t actually make sense.
The For the People Act’s power lies in its grand aims. Think about the recent Covid bill: Democrats did not negotiate with themselves. They passed a strong, momentous rescue plan with sky-high popularity and proved that ambitious policy can produce winning politics.
The need for broad democracy reform is urgent: In 2021 alone, Republican state legislators in 47 states have introduced 361 bills that make it harder to vote. That’s 108 more than the 253 restrictive bills we previously tallied in February — a 43 percent increase in little over a month. Five have already been signed into law, and at least 29 bills have passed one house of a state legislature. The For the People Act could stop these dangerous bills in their tracks.
The clock is ticking on other democracy crises as well. The redistricting process beginning later this year comes with a high risk of racial and partisan gerrymandering in many states, a risk that the For the People Act would greatly diminish. And a decade after Citizens United, big money has come to dominate politics. In the last election, $14 billion was spent, double the last presidential cycle. None of these reforms can wait.
It’s worth noting that jettisoning campaign finance or redistricting reform still does not produce 60 votes for the legislation. (Indeed, Sen. Joe Manchin, a vital swing vote, has urged inclusion of measures to disclose dark money, for example.) A leaked audio tape of a Koch brothers network strategy call confirmed that the measure is popular, even with Republicans.
The For the People Act draws much of its political strength precisely from the fact that it includes voting rights and redistricting reform and campaign finance changes. The path to passage lies with this broad drive for reform and the widespread support that comes with it.
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