“By empowering voters to fight back against restrictions on their voting rights, this legislation will help ensure that every voice can be heard on Election Day.”
Support the Right to Vote Act to create an affirmative federal statutory right to vote in federal elections, protect eligible citizens from undue ballot-access restrictions, and allow voters to challenge such restrictions in court.
Occurrences
Evidence
Congress.gov lists Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] as an original cosponsor of S.1, the Freedom to Vote Act, on 07/25/2023.
The introduced S.1 text includes Part 1, Right to Vote Act, and states that every citizen of legal voting age has the right to vote and have the vote counted in federal elections free from specified burdens.
Section 3403 permits an aggrieved person or the Attorney General to bring a civil action in federal district court for declaratory or injunctive relief for violations of the Right to Vote Act part.
Congress.gov shows S.1 was introduced on 07/25/2023, referred to the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, and remained at introduced status.
Assessments
Hirono fulfilled the specific promise to support the Right to Vote Act by serving as an original cosponsor of S.1, the Freedom to Vote Act, on July 25, 2023. The bill text included the named Right to Vote Act provisions creating an affirmative federal right to vote in federal elections, restricting undue ballot-access burdens, and authorizing civil actions by affected voters or the Attorney General. The bill did not become law, so the statutory policy outcome was not enacted, but the campaign commitment was framed as support for the Act rather than a guarantee of passage.