The UFW and UFW Foundation have a long and storied history of supporting voting rights. Our founder Cesar Chavez started his organizing career registering poor Latinos to vote in 1952 to empower them to make positive and necessary changes to their community. Our organization has since registered millions more since uplifting the voice of American farm workers in direct political action. 

In recent years, voting rights have been under attack, with several states passing legislation intending to purge voter rolls, close local polling centers, and make the act of voting harder. These changes come from the aftermath of the 2013 Supreme Court decision striking down a vital component of the Voting Rights Act, the landmark 1965 law that required local and state governments with a history of discrimination against minority voters to get changes cleared by the federal government. Government officials had to prove why the changes they sought were not discriminatory. With those provisions struck down, discriminated voters now bear the burden of proving they are disenfranchised, opening a floodgate of anti-voting legislation throughout the country.

The United States Congress is currently pushing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would protect voters from discriminatory anti-voting rules to limit citizens’ right to vote. The only hurdle to passing these bills is the filibuster, which can block any bill in the Senate without a 60-vote majority. We are asking Congress to change the filibuster rules and pass the Freedom to Vote and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Acts to ensure that our democracy is protected and the dream that all Americans have a say in this country is realized.

Please sign this petition today and call your Senator to tell them they should support the rights for all Americans to have a voice in their country.