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Congress just passed legislation that corrects critical weaknesses in our democracy — and it’s thanks to you that we reached this milestone. Earlier this month, we asked you to join us in calling on Congress to reform the vague and outdated Electoral Count Act (ECA) — an 1887 law that Donald Trump abused in his failed attempt to reverse the results of the 2020 election. You came through, sending nearly 15,000 direct messages asking your representatives and senators to fix the law.
The timing of this reform matters: the bipartisan January 6 committee unanimously referred the former president to the Justice Department for potential criminal prosecution. It’s the most damning evidence of political lawlessness since the Senate Watergate hearings half a century ago.
Throughout the January 6 hearings, Brennan Center experts exposed the lies of a stolen election — and how they continue to damage our democracy.1 We tracked the swell of voter suppression laws and efforts to sabotage future elections. We brought these findings to the House select committee in written testimony2and amplified the committee’s harrowing findings, reaching 47 million people on our social platforms. You shared that work, too, flooding the zone with truth instead of disinformation.
The committee’s final report — and its unprecedented criminal referrals — made clear the critical need to correct the weaknesses in our election systems. The ECA was one such glaring vulnerability. That’s why your support for ECA reform and other critical legislation to fortify democracy matters.
The new year will bring new challenges: Alongside our work to defend elections, we’re fighting for voting rights and fair representation for everyone in our multiracial democracy. We’re working to end mass incarceration and restore the balance between liberty and national security. We’re adapting to the challenges posed by a split Congress and the Supreme Court’s radical supermajority, which has proven itself uninterested in protecting long-held rights.
We’re also identifying new paths to further our fight for democracy. State courts and constitutions have long been overlooked despite their leading role in legal innovation; we’ve launched a new State Court Report initiative to share information and support state-level changes that can strengthen our systems. We’re also increasing the diversity of political donors and candidates through our work on small-donor public financing — bringing us closer to a democracy where everyone participates equally.
Michael Waldman\Brennan Center for Justice
https://secure.brennancenter.org/secure/democracy-depends-all-us?utm_medium=EML&utm_source=EOCY22nondonors-lapsed45&utm_content=01.02.2023-2&utm_term=7018Y000001VykMQAS&cid=7018Y000001VykMQAS&ms=EML_EOCY22nondonors-lapsed45_01.02.2023-2&amount=45
