With For the People Act on life support, Mariah Carey and others try to give CPR
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The For the People Act, a bill that proponents say will combat voter suppression and that opponents criticize as divisive overreach, may have been dealt a death blow earlier this week by one Senate Democrat's announced refusal to support it. But such celebrities as Leonardo DiCaprio, Sarah Silverman, Kerry Washington, John Legend, Billy Eichner, Common and now Mariah Carey are campaigning for voters to stand up for it.
On Wednesday morning, Carey became the latest on that list to tweet the hashtag #CallOutYourSenators as part of a viral campaign to pressure certain elected representatives into voting for the bill, which has strong support, according to polls (69% in favor, says a May Data for Progress poll). Carey tweeted out boilerplate language many users are including in their supportive messages.
No matter our color, party, or zip code, our voices and our votes count. @SenatorSinema @JoeManchinWV @SenatorTimScott @senrobportman can make that happen. If you live in AZ, WV, SC or OH #CallOutYourSenators. Tell them VOTE YES on the #ForThePeopleAct https://t.co/JjhhGeZnxP pic.twitter.com/f5mR6FOhyI
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) June 10, 2021
The gotovote.org site contains instructions for downloading graphics and message text tailored to a given state's senators.
The For the People Act, designated "S.1" (the House version, which passed March 3, is "H.R. 1"), is an ambitious attempt to safeguard voting rights, say Democratic sponsors and other backers. According to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice, the bill would "curb voter suppression and make it easier for all Americans to register to vote and cast a ballot. It would outlaw partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts. And it would overhaul our campaign finance laws ... combat corruption, and make federal campaign spending more transparent."
Opponents such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) say the bill is an overreach: “It’s a vast federal takeover of all American elections. It’s a horrible bill,” McConnell said during an interview on a PBS affiliate in his home state. “I’m going to do everything I can, and my colleagues are going to do everything we can, to prevent it.”
The fight over S.1 comes as myriad new bills restricting voting are being introduced in state legislatures around the country, ostensibly to make elections more safe and secure. However, according to a statement by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the 2020 election was the "most secure in American history."
In the face of fierce opposition by Senate Republicans, the wafer-thin Democratic majority in the Senate would likely require every member to support S.1. However, on last Sunday's talk-show circuit, Joe Manchin of West Virginia became the first Democratic senator to say he would vote against it. That likely dooms the bill unless Democratic leaders — and voters of any political stripe among the reported 69% supporting S.1 — can sway a handful of Republicans to its rescue. And then, the bill would likely face a Republican filibuster.
Even before Manchin voiced his opposition, celebs such as DiCaprio and Silverman were tweeting their support for the For the People Act and urging followers to contact their senators.
The #ForThePeopleAct is exactly that - for the people.
For the people who believe in democracy, and convenient access for ALL.#CallOutYourSenators. Tell them you want them to vote YES on the For The People Act: https://t.co/6VK8KDFnLy pic.twitter.com/YLOt0KPaeO— Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) May 27, 2021
Let’s get The For the People Act PASSED — #CallOutYourSenators & tell them you want them to vote YES on the #ForThePeopleAct. https://t.co/0eLXt2nuTh pic.twitter.com/7d98iBror3
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) May 27, 2021
Washington, a longtime activist, has posted many such tweets, including retweeting such prominent political figures as Stacey Abrams and Marc Elias (the attorney specializing in election law who represented parties against all 60-plus lawsuits brought by Trump and his allies), as well as non-blue-check Twitter users employing the hashtag and directly tweeting to their senators.
YES!!!! @JoeManchinWV vote YES on the #ForThePeopleAct #calloutyoursenators https://t.co/FlbHRIUIl3
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) June 4, 2021
In recent days, celebs such as Amy Schumer, Karrueche Tran, Legend, America Ferrera, Debra Messing, Taissa Farmiga, Carole King, Mark Ruffalo, Viola Davis and Common have tweeted in support, mostly using the boilerplate message in the same way Carey did.
Others such as Mandy Patinkin and Barbra Streisand have been tweeting their own messages with the hashtag #ForThePeopleAct.
Please listen to Stacey. She’s twice as smart as the smartest person you’ve ever known. We are learning more about this act and calling our senators. Democracy is on the line in a very real way. #ForThePeopleAct #S1 #HotCallSummer https://t.co/i4GiWvizaY
— Mandy Patinkin (@PatinkinMandy) June 10, 2021
The #ForThePeopleAct
(HR1) helps protect voters. Yet, Republicans oppose the bill because they are too focused on spreading the “Big Lie” and passing anti-voter legislation.
Voting rights shouldn’t
be partisan. Call your senators today and ask them to support HR1.— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) June 3, 2021
Legend used both hashtags.
The For the People Act is exactly that. For the People.
Voting should be easy, accessible, and convenient to ALL.
Visit https://t.co/9hOSsZGWeu and #CallOutYourSenators! Tell them you want them to vote YES on the #ForThePeopleAct. pic.twitter.com/CV3V1TxaZb— John Legend (@johnlegend) May 27, 2021
How effective the tweet campaign will be is an open question. At publication time, the most "liked" among the #CallOutYourSenators tweets was DiCaprio's, with fewer than 2,000. Schumer's had just over 100 likes, while a tweet of a photo of someone who looks like her (and has a odd story to go with her teardrop tattoo) has more than 35,000 likes and many, many retweets.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.