McClellan Helps Introduce the Freedom to Vote Act

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), a member of the Task Force on Strengthening Democracy, joined Congressman John Sarbanes (MD-03) and over 130 House Democrats to introduce H.R. 11, the Freedom to Vote Act, to protect and expand voting rights, implement federal election standards and campaign finance reforms, and preserve American democracy.  

“The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy,” said Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan. “Yet throughout our nation’s history, Americans have been barred from participating in this most sacred right, due to the color of their skin, their gender, and more. My great-grandfather was forced to take a literacy test and find three white men to vouch for him to register to vote. Over forty years later, my father had to pay a poll tax to vote. While we have made progress in the fight for voting rights, we continue to see efforts to silence American voices, which is why the Freedom to Vote Act is critically important.”

The Freedom to Vote Act:

• Expands Access to the Ballot Box – modernizes our election systems to keep them secure, sets national standards to protect access to the ballot and expands voting options, strengthens voter protections, combats voter intimidation and frivolous challenges to eligibility, and improves access for voters with disabilities.
• Supports Local Election Workers – protects nonpartisan election officials from undue partisan interference, harassment, or intimidation, provides funding for states to purchase new and more secure voting systems, and implements cybersecurity standards for voting machines.
• Bans Dark Money – requires super PACs and other organizations to disclose their donors, shuts down the use of transfers between organizations to hide their contributors, and ensures political ads sold online have the same transparency and disclosure requirements as ads sold on TV and radio.
• Ends Partisan Gerrymandering – establishes specific criteria for congressional redistricting and expressly prohibits partisan gerrymandering.

“I fought to protect voting rights throughout my eighteen sessions in the Virginia General Assembly. My first bill passed as a state legislator expanded absentee voting in Virginia, and in 2021, I championed passage of the Voting Rights Act of Virginia to make the Commonwealth the first state in the South to pass a comprehensive voting rights act,” continued Congresswoman McClellan. “I am proud to continue my leadership on voting rights as an original cosponsor of the Freedom to Vote Act. Today, our democracy faces unprecedented challenges from political extremists, who seek to spread misinformation, question the legitimacy of our elections, empower special interest groups, and disenfranchise American voters. This landmark legislation takes crucial steps to protect access to the ballot box, end gerrymandering, and ensure secure, accessible, and transparent election processes.”

Read a two-page legislative summary here.

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