Across the country, state legislators are subverting our democracy, passing restrictive voting laws, and taking away power from the communities they were elected to represent
WASHINGTON — This week, as we near the third anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, the DLCC is highlighting how democracy itself is on the line in state legislatures in 2024, the year of the states.
Here are three reasons why our democracy is on the line in state legislatures:
1. State legislatures play a critical role in passing and implementing voting laws – Most voting laws are passed on a state-by-state basis and state Republicans have instituted a barrage of burdensome voting restrictions that disproportionately disenfranchise youth, communities of color, low-income families, and many more. In Democratic-trifecta states like Michigan and Minnesota, Democrats have used their power to expand and protect voting rights, while in states with Republican-controlled legislatures like Georgia, Wisconsin, and Texas, Republicans have blatantly used their legislative majorities to disenfranchise Black, young, and minority communities while making it harder to vote.
2. State legislatures are often in charge of drawing legislative and Congressional maps – From Wisconsin to Georgia to North Carolina, Republicans have egregiously gerrymandered maps to maintain their undemocratic rule over state legislatures. With alarming precision, Republicans have drawn districts to dilute minority power and infringe on access to the ballot box. This has created extreme legislatures that do not represent and are wildly out of step with the communities they serve.
3. Republican state legislators have spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and sought to overturn the will of the voters – Since Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, hundreds of Republicans in state legislatures have shown their willingness to support his efforts to overturn the results. Hundreds of current state legislators have spread his lies and signed on to efforts to overturn the will of voters. With many of these insurrectionists still serving in statehouses nationwide, the DLCC is laser-focused on holding insurrectionists and other election deniers accountable as we approach November’s critical elections.
DLCC President Heather Williams issued the following statement:
“As we near the third anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, state legislatures are still ground zero in the battle for our democracy. While Donald Trump has not been in the White House these last three years, Republicans in state legislatures have been hard at work implementing new restrictive voting laws, continuing to gerrymander legislative and congressional maps to hold power, and pushing fringe theories and lies that threaten our elections. Republicans in state legislatures have proven time and time again that they cannot be trusted to uphold our democratic values.
“Everything is on the line in November. 2024 is the year of the states and the DLCC must win legislative elections across the country to uphold and defend our constitution and democracy itself. This is our moment and we are ready to continue our historic overperformance in special elections throughout the year and through the general election in November.”
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is the official Democratic Party committee dedicated to winning America’s state legislatures and building state infrastructure. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
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