Kamala Harris: 'We will continue the fight to strengthen the right to vote'

Vice President Kamala Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris said the Biden administration will redouble its efforts to make sure the right to vote is available to every citizen after Republican senators Tuesday blocked the voting rights bill, the For the People Act.

"When we cast a ballot, we not only decide our leaders. We determine our future," said Harris, the first Vice President of Asian American heritage. 

The GOP is trying to place restrictions on voting in two dozen states. Republicans claim they are trying to prevent voter fraud, an allegation that nonpartisan investigations have concluded to be be nonexistent.

"There is no evidence presented at this time to prove either significant acts of fraud or that an organized, wide-scale effort to commit fraudulent activity was perpetrated in order to subvert the will of Michigan voters," the GOP-dominated Michigan Senate Oversight Committee said in a report released Wednesday.

Democrats responded to the GOP efforts with the For the People Act trying to pass federal voting reform legislation. 

With the defeat of the For the People Act in the Senate, Democrats are now looking to push for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which would revive the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which was severely weakened by the conservative Supreme Court.

The rest of her statement follows:

"The right to vote is fundamental. It gives Americans a voice in what happens in our nation—whether that is in our economy or our national security, our education system or our healthcare system. When more people have a voice, our democracy becomes more representative, and our nation becomes stronger.

"Today, across our nation, we are witnessing unprecedented attacks on voting rights. There are unjust bills in dozens of state legislatures that would limit early voting and vote by mail and otherwise make it harder for the American people to vote. Make no mistake: While these attacks are meant to silence some Americans, the impact is felt by all Americans.

"At this critical moment, the United States Senate had a critical opportunity to make voting more accessible nationwide. The For The People Act has the broad support of the American people. Yet, as Senate Democrats united around the legislation, this afternoon, Senate Republicans voted against advancing it.

"The President and I are undeterred, and I know the American people are as well. Like generations before, we will not give up, we will not give in, and we will continue the fight to strengthen the right to vote. We will fortify and expand the nationwide coalition on voting rights, and promote voter engagement and registration nationwide. We will lift up leaders in the states who are working to stop anti-voter legislation, and work with leaders in Congress to advance federal legislation that will strengthen voting rights.

"I want to be clear that our Administration remains determined to work with Congress to pass the For The People Act, and we will keep working with Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

"Here is the bottom line: Our democracy is stronger when everyone participates—and it is weaker when people are denied meaningful access to participation. And that is why the right to vote is neither Democratic nor Republican. The right to vote is an American right.

"It is our duty, at every opportunity, to protect and strengthen the right to vote.