On Wednesday, March 3, 2021, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos helped pass H.R. 1, the For the People Act. This historic, sweeping package is designed to clean up corruption in Washington; protect and expand voting rights; restore ethics and integrity to Government, to ensure Congress is accountable to the people.
To fix Washington’s broken political system, in 2018 Congresswoman Bustos first helped shape and introduce this historic package–as Co-Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee
“I was proud to pass this historic package to protect our democracy against attacks, both foreign and domestic, on access to the ballot box, make it easier to vote by establishing automatic voter registration, strengthen ethics laws, and end the dominance of big money in our elections.”
According to the Kaiser Foundation in 2018, just 67.8 percent of Illinois’s eligible voter population was registered to vote. Only 53 percent of Illinois’s voter population cast a ballot. Among other critical provisions, to ensure more Illinoisans are able to make their voices heard at the ballot box.
“As a former reporter, I worked to uncover stories of greed and corruption in Government….In Congress, one of my top priorities has been to clean up the mess in Washington,” said Congresswoman Bustos. “The For the People Act is a transformative investment in good Government….It would ensure elected officials are accountable to the people–not special interests and dark money donors.”
If passed by the Senate The For the People Act would
- expand automatic voter registration and same-day registration, to make it easier for people to vote
- strengthen vote-by-mail, early voting, and ballot access
- combat voter intimidation and voter suppression
- protect elections from foreign interference
- fix partisan gerrymandering
- promote digital ad transparency
- force the disclosure of dark money
- rein in lobbyist influence
- enforce ethics and conflict-of-interest rules for all Government officials
- empower small donors with matching funds paid for by lawbreakers, not taxpayers.