Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) sponsored H.R. 5746, amended to become the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, which would be America’s most significant pro-democracy legislation in half a century. It would restore and modernize the full protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were undermined by the Supreme Court in Shelby County v. Holder and Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, and update them to better address the modern forms of voter suppression seen in hundreds of anti-voter bills filed in state legislatures across the country in 2021 and 2022. It would also protect free and fair elections by safeguarding and expanding voter access, banning partisan gerrymandering, modernizing voter registration, strengthening our campaign finance system, protecting election integrity, and promoting security of election systems. Everyone’s right to be heard and counted in the political process is essential to the function of our democracy and protection of our environment, and far too often it is people of color and frontline communities who are targeted by restrictive voting laws and partisan gerrymandering–the same communities most impacted by climate change and environmental injustice. By ensuring that voters have access to the ballot box and their voices are not drowned out by outsized corporate interests, the people will be better equipped to hold politicians accountable and accomplish meaningful climate action. On January 13, the House approved H.R. 5746 by a vote of 220-203 (House Roll Call Vote 9). YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE.