14 reasons why your civics teacher wants you to support the For the People Act

The For the People Act of 2021, is a bill to restore the rights of working people, limit the power of the corrupt, and expand voting rights. It passed the House of Representatives, 220–210, with no Republicans voting for it despite all the good it would do. The Senate will take it up in late March. AFT strongly supports its swift passage.

1. The For the People Act would establish new national automatic voter registration

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In truly free and democratic nations, we want every voter to vote.

2. It would establish public financing of campaigns, powered by small donations

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This would put an end to large corporations having more of a voice than “we the people.”

3. It would promote early voting, same-day voter registration, and online voter registration.

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And that means getting rid of voter registration restrictions intended to disenfranchise voters.

4. It would support a constitutional amendment to end Citizens United.

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The ruling in Citizens United held that corporations were to be treated as people, canceling many limits on how they influence elections.

5. It would end partisan gerrymandering in federal elections and ban voter roll purging.

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Yet another way to ensure a free and fair election for ALL Americans.

6. It would strengthen election security.

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7. It would require Super PACs to make their donors public

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8. It would force Facebook and Twitter to disclose the sources of money for political ads on their platforms and share how much was spent.

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This would ensure there is no foreign meddling in our elections like there was in 2016.

9. It would prohibit any coordination between candidates and super PACs.

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10. It supports restoring voting rights to felons who have served their sentences.

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Rehabilitation of felons must include giving them back the right to vote.

11. It would mandate the disclosure of any political spending by government contractors.

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A transparent government is a good government.

12. It would end gridlock at the Federal Election Commission

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13. It would make Election Day a holiday for federal employees and encourage businesses to make it a holiday for their employees.

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The more people who are able to vote, the better.

14. It would cut down on long lines at the polls.

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No voter should be forced to stand in line for hours.

This article was written by website production assistant Brianna Meeks and represents the AFT’s position on HR1.