November 8-14, 2021. The Time to Act Week of Action brought Americans in 25 states to stand out on street corners demanding action on Federal voting rights legislation. In Massachusetts, the Indivisible Mass Coalition’s “Filibuster Ban Van” traveled to eighteen rain-or-shine visibility events at Boston’s Copley Square Farmers Market, in front of Lexington’s historic Minuteman Statue, at the MBTA bus hub in Roxbury, overlooking the Cape Cod Canal and in town squares across the Commonwealth in Canton, Eastham, Franklin, Haverhill, Lynnfield, Nahant, Natick, Northampton, Salem, Sudbury, Wellesley, and Worcester.
Supporters at the rallies offered passersby the chance to learn about new attacks on voting rights and to add their names to a giant letter addressed to President Biden. The letter urges Biden to help the Senate overcome the filibuster and pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
On November 17th, leaders from Indivisible Mass Coalition, Swing Blue Alliance, and the New Democracy Coalition will deliver the signed letter to Biden at the White House Voting Rights Now! rally in Washington, DC.
“Given the many times that Senate Republicans have blocked voting rights legislation, it’s clear the President must champion changes in the filibuster rule” said Deb Paul, chairperson of Indivisible Massachusetts Coalition. “With the 2022 midterm elections quickly approaching, it’s critical that President Biden takes action to protect our freedom to vote and realize the promise of democracy for all.”
Larry Pareles of Indivisible Northampton reported on the large rally he helped organize at the Northampton City Hall:
“The weather looked like rain but then a higher power smiled down with bright sunshine and we had a very good rally. We got our banner almost completely signed during this one event. It was exciting, uplifting, and interesting with many engaged activists. I was proud of the whole team and all the people who joined us, some coming from more than an hour away.”
Swing Blue Alliance activist Janet Nelson summed up the feeling of the Massachusetts activists who have been working since March to protect voting rights: “The fight is not over, friends. We continue to work, to demonstrate, to write postcards, and make phone calls to our Senators and Representatives and to the President.”
Follow @MAIndivisible on Twitter for the latest updates on the activists from our coalition who are risking arrest at the Voting Rights Now protest on November 17th. To join a team taking action to support the passage of the Freedom to Vote Act, visit https://swingbluealliance.org/fight-voter-suppression/