WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, on National Voter Registration Day, U.S. Senator Angus King is introducing a resolution to recognize September as “National Voting Rights Month.” The resolution encourages voter registration in the month of September and pushes Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to preserve the right to vote.

“In the face of state-level threats that undercut the fundamental right to vote for millions of Americans, we must act to protect our democracy,” said Senator King. “Free, fair and open elections are the backbone of our national commitment to government of the people, by the people, and for the people – and through our efforts to increase voter turnout, we will do our part to pass this experiment in self-government on to the next generation of Americans. I encourage all Maine people, and Americans across the country, to register to vote today so that they can participate in our democracy this upcoming election season.”

In addition to Senator King, the resolution is cosponsored by Senators Maria Cantwell, Tom Carper, Bob Casey, Dianne Feinstein, Tim Kaine, Amy Klobuchar, Ben Ray Lujan, Ed Markey, Alex Padilla, Tina Smith, Debbie Stabenow, Chris Van Hollen, and Sheldon Whitehouse.

As a former member of the Senate Rules Committee, Senator King has been a longstanding supporter of increasing access to voting. He previously introduced the Freedom to Vote Act which would set basic national standards for voting rights. It would also end partisan gerrymandering and help eliminate the undue influence of secret money in our elections. In October 2021, he delivered an impassioned speech on the Senate floor urging action on voting rights, stating that we are currently “at a hinge of history” that will determine the future of the American experiment in self-government. He built on these arguments in a speech from the Senate floor where he called for reforms to the filibuster to allow for common sense voting rights legislation to pass. He also released the draft Electoral Count Modernization Act to shape the conversation around establishing clear, consistent, and fair procedures for the counting and certification of electoral votes for the presidency.

###