Rep. Chu Joins Reps. Ellison, Pocan, and Cohen in Introducing Voting Rights Amendment

Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) joined Representatives Keith Ellison (MN-5), Mark Pocan (WI-2), and Steve Israel (TN-9) and 21 other House Democrats in introducing H.J.Res.25, a Constitutional Amendment to explicitly guarantee the right to vote for every American. The Right to Vote Amendment would amend the Constitution to provide all Americans the affirmative right to vote and empower Congress to protect this right. Rep. Chu released the following statement:

"It is shocking that in a country dedicated to the principle of government by the people, for the people, there is no constitutionally enshrined right to vote. Without a right to vote, minorities are at risk of being excluded. We saw this when women were told to keep out of government, we saw it in the Jim Crow South, and I’ve seen it in my own family’s experience with the Chinese Exclusion Act. Universal suffrage is still recent in American history, and it is dismaying to see it already under attack by status quo stalwarts who fear the diversity that makes America so great. That is why I am a proud original cosponsor of the Right to Vote Constitutional Amendment that makes it clear once and for all that citizens have a fundamental right to vote. It will put a stop to the ongoing assault on voting rights we are seeing across the nation. Finally, the ability to take part in our elections will be equal to the ability to speak freely."