LETTER TO CONGRESS ON FREEDOM TO VOTE: JOHN. R. LEWIS ACT

Dear Senators,

Collectively, our organizations work to ensure that the U.S. food system works for everyone. Our vision of a better food system - in which food is nutritious, sustainably grown, equitably produced and accessible to all - can only be achieved through a democracy that supports the voting rights of every individual. Our values as a nation compel action to ensure that every person can freely vote.

Therefore, we urge you to pass the Freedom to Vote Act (FTVA) and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (JLVRAA), both of which are crucial to ensuring that all voices in our democracy are heard. By restoring and strengthening the right to vote, these bills are a critical part of the fight to address long-standing inequities in our food and farm systems. Failure to pass these bills poses a significant risk to our democracy.

With our democracy increasingly under threat, our elected leaders must take swift and decisive action to protect it. We look to the Senate to find the most expedient and effective route to enacting legislation which our organizations, communities, and democracy urgently need.

Signed, 

Ben and Jerry’s Foundation

Center for Science in the Public Interest

Chef Ann Foundation

Dietel & Partners

DN Batten Foundation

Earthjustice

Environmental Working Group

Faith in Place Action Fund

Food Research & Action Center

Food Well Alliance

Friends of the Earth

Gaia Fund

Huckleberry Fund

Hunger Free America

 Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

Lydia B. Stokes Foundation

National Farm to School Network

Natural Resources Defense Council

Oxfam America

Reinvestment Fund

Rural Coalition

Small Planet Institute

Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders

The Common Market

The Good Food Institute

Union for Concerned Scientists