Congress has before it HR 1, the For The People Act. This bill includes a collection of reforms that would tackle problems with voting rights, gerrymandering and campaign finance reform. Widespread voter suppression has taken hold: voter purges, closed polling stations, long lines at the polls and discriminatory voter ID and absentee voting laws restrict the right to vote.

While our state has become a model, with very successful mail-in voting, this is not true for much of the country.

HR1 is important because our democracy is fragile. A disregard for ethics, accountability, and the rule of law has weakened our democratic institutions to the point where strong action by Congress is necessary.

The For the People Act requires political donors to disclose their identity, which will help to rein in dark money. Perhaps the most important element of this legislation is the constraints it puts on gerrymandering, which has enabled a minority of voters to overcome large majorities of democratic voters, especially in Republican controlled states. I thank Rick Larsen for his continued support for this legislation.

William Corr

Waldron