Issue Position: Voting Rights

Issue Position

After the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, our state became ground zero for voter suppression. With partisan gerrymandering, long lines in minority communities, polling place closures, and voter purges, the state of Georgia has followed every strategy in the voter suppression playbook. Whether through vote-by-mail or in-person voting, all Georgia voters must have the opportunity to use their voice at the ballot box. And with the United States Postal Service now under siege, the right to vote is at risk for millions of Georgians.

But in the spirit of his mentor and parishioner, the late Congressman John Lewis, Reverend Warnock understands that our vote is our voice, and that the ability to use our voice is a matter of human dignity. He believes that the best way to honor John Lewis' legacy is not to simply offer pious platitudes, but to get busy restoring the Voting Rights Act that was gutted by the Supreme Court. And in the middle of a global pandemic, it also means giving states the resources they need to protect access to the vote for all. Our elections must be fair, open, and safe for every eligible citizen, and Americans should never have to choose between their life and their vote.

Voting rights have been central to Reverend Warnock's advocacy work for decades. In the aftermath of 2005's Hurricane Katrina and only six months into his role as Ebenezer Baptist Church's Senior Pastor, Reverend Warnock helped organize Freedom Caravans that drove from Atlanta to New Orleans to help Louisiana voters access the polls and exercise their right to participate in municipal elections. In his ministry, Reverend Warnock and Ebenezer Baptist Church have participated for years in "Souls to the Polls' to encourage voter mobilization in the Black community. And he has helped register hundreds of thousands of voters as the former Chair of the New Georgia Project.

That's why he is proud to have earned the endorsement of Fair Fight Action and the Voter Protection Project.

In the Senate, Reverend Warnock pledges to fight to ensure that every eligible voter can participate in our democracy under the American promise of "one person, one vote", by:

Protecting the sanctity of voting by restoring and strengthening the Voting Rights Act/John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act;
Pushing for expanded Vote-By-Mail options, especially to protect Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic;
Expanding in-person Early Vote and no-fault Absentee Ballot options;
Increasing training and resources for state election officials and volunteers;
Advocating for resources to protect the security of elections;
Supporting efforts to make Election Day a federal holiday; and
Standing up to protect and fund the United States Postal Service.

Source