Voting Rights Activists Head To Washington In Support Of The Free To Vote Act
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Voting rights activists boarded a bus in Baltimore Saturday morning to head to Washington Saturday morning to rally in support of the Free to Vote Act.
It's the final leg of a more than 200-mile journey of walking, biking, and driving from West Virginia to Washington to call on Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act.
"I think our democracy is under threat," Whit Athey said before getting on the bus.
Republican lawmakers voted unanimously on Wednesday to block the bill, which was introduced in response to several states passing what Democrats call restrictive voter laws.
"We know we have to nix or fix the filibuster to get these bills passed," said Charlie Cooper, with For the People Maryland. "It's a good turnout. People are coming to Washington from Connecticut, New York, and Georgia."
Republicans are calling the bill a federal election takeover, but Jean Athey says it's about protecting our democracy.
"If people can't vote, if the vote is suppressed, we can just forget about it," she said.