61 years ago

Team,

Sixty-one years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. This landmark achievement banned racial discrimination in voting, abolished racist literacy tests, and created federal oversight for election laws.

During the Civil Rights movement, Americans marched, organized, risked their livelihoods – and in too many cases, gave their lives – so that every U.S. citizen could have an equal voice in our democracy.

The Voting Rights Act was long-overdue. It helped dismantle discriminatory barriers that kept millions of Americans from the ballot box for generations. It was proof that when we expand freedom instead of restricting it, our democracy grows stronger.

But anniversaries aren’t just about looking back. They’re a chance to reflect on all the work ahead as well. And unfortunately, we’ve seen renewed efforts to make voting more difficult for millions of Americans.

This spring, the Supreme Court knocked down one of the key pillars of the Voting Rights Act and has hollowed out parts of the law’s protections. Meanwhile, President Trump has continued his crusade spreading election conspiracies and pushing for his so-called SAVE Act that is nothing less than an attempt to suppress voters. The bill would create mountains of red tape that could prevent millions of voters from being able to make their voices heard in elections. It would dismantle vote-by-mail systems, even though millions of Americans rely on voting by mail.

As governor, we secured universal vote-by-mail to ensure that more Coloradans could cast their votes. In 2025, 98% of Coloradans voted by mail. Even the president cast his vote by mail. Vote-by-mail is safe, secure, and reliable.

Trump and his MAGA cronies are spewing fear tactics to try to make you think that our elections aren’t safe. His friends like Tina Peters keep spreading election denial conspiracy theories to create mistrust in our free and fair elections. But the truth is simple — our elections are safe and secure. The SAVE Act is designed to suppress American voters.

You know who relies on vote-by-mail the most? Seniors and rural communities.

Millions of Americans would face additional barriers to voting. Seniors who no longer drive. Workers who can’t afford to take time off work to vote in person. Single mothers who can’t find child care to vote in person. Rural Americans who’d be forced to drive extra distances to vote.

On top of that, Trump is trying to intimidate Americans out of voting. He’s discussed training members of his secret police to monitor polling locations. That’s why I joined my colleagues in the Senate to introduce the Protect Our Polls Act, which would protect American elections from interference by armed uniformed military or federal law enforcement.

Democracy is the strongest when everyone has a voice. We won’t stop fighting until everyone’s right to vote is fully protected.

The Voting Rights Act wasn’t the end of the story, and we won’t let its accomplishments be undermined today. Thank you for standing with us in the work of protecting our democracy.

John