Area residents gathered along a busy roadway in Middletown Township to call for U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey to support the federal For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, and statehood for Washington D.C.
The liberal Indivisible Bucks County and Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope groups hosted a Deadline For Democracy rally along the Newtown Bypass Wednesday afternoon.
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Holding signs calling for the end the filibuster and supporting legislation related to voting, the group was met with beeps and honks, including from a dump truck, along the busy roadway.
“Democracy in our nation is under attack,” said Laura Rose, an organizer with Indivisible Bucks County. “Many states are passing restrictive voter suppression bills, using The Big Lie as a pretext for their actions. The only way out of this, to ensure that all Americans can vote without Republican-created hurdles and barriers, is to pass the For the People Act.”
Despite near-100 degree temperatures and a blazing sun above, Cindi Sternfeld, of Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope, said she felt the groups’ messages were important enough to come out for in the hot weather.
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She said that even with a Democratic president and Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, it is important that citizens stay active and continue to share the message. She pointed to legislation in states that could impact the ability for some to vote.
“The filibuster needs to go,” said Elen Snyder, a Democratic candidate for Newtown Township supervisor. She added she supports removing the filibuster to help move President Joe Biden’s forward.
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Charmaine Jordan told LevittownNow.com she came out to support legislation that would protect voting rights across the country.
“We came out today to make sure that all of Bucks County knows that we have not given up in this fight against voter suppression,” said Kierstyn Zolfo, an organizer with Indivisible Bucks County. “Just this week Governor Wolf had to veto a bill that would strip voters of their access to the ballot box. State level actions like those pursued by the Republican majority in Harrisburg show how desperately we need the protections included in the For the People Act.”
The group heard a statement from U.S. Sen. Bob Casey.
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“This past week, we saw that one party unanimously wanted to protect the right to vote and the other party didn’t even want to debate it. Senate Republicans’ obstruction is shameful, but it’s not the end of the story and it’s not the end of our fight, and I’m grateful to Indivisible groups from across the Commonwealth who are gathering together to focus on the importance of our democracy,” Casey said in the statement that was read aloud. “Across the Nation, Republican voter suppression efforts have one thing in common, preventing our black and brown communities from exercising their hard-won right to vote. Voting is a foundational pillar of our democracy and the Senate has a moral duty to protect it and remove other barriers to voting. I’m going to keep working with my colleagues to pass voting rights legislation.”
Christina Finello, who unsuccessfully ran as the Democratic candidate for Congress last year, was among those who came out for the demonstration.
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The Middletown Township demonstration was part of a nationwide Deadline For Democracy mobilization.
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