We can only have a democracy if
Dear Friend,
What we saw on January 6th was a destruction of the shared truth that democracy relies on. We can only have a democracy if we can all agree to live by the results of our elections, and we accept the math. The Big Lie that Donald Trump created was all about him trying to hold power for himself. But what is even more dangerous is that it created this incredible and widespread distrust of fact and truth.
Even after the attack on January 6th, the insurrection didn’t really end. It just shifted to an effort in state after state to make it harder for people to cast their ballots. It shifted from an overt and violent insurrection to overturn the last election to a very concerted effort in Republican-led State Legislatures all across the country to disenfranchise legitimate voters.
It’s clear that we must protect the rights of all lawful Americans to vote. States like New Mexico have shown that making it easier to vote and increasing election security can go hand in hand. I’m proud that elections officials in our state have stepped up to make voting safer, more secure, and at the same time much more accessible for every New Mexican.
We need to set national elections standards that treat all citizens with the right to vote equally, that invest in more secure elections infrastructure, and bring more transparency and auditing to provide an extra level of faith in our voting systems. We also need to end the practice of anonymous dark money flooding into our politics, which has had a caustic impact on our ability to govern and work across the aisle. That’s what the Freedom to Vote Act would accomplish.
We cannot give up on passing this critical legislation for our democracy—and we should never allow the Senate filibuster rules to stand in the way of protecting our most fundamental American right.
Sincerely,
MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator
