December 5, 2019

Re: Vote FOR the Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4) and AGAINST any Motion to
Recommit

Dear Representative:

As the Washington Director of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, I urge you to vote for the Voting Rights
Advancement Act (H.R.4) and to vote against any Motion to Recommit (MTR), when it comes to a
vote this week. This crucial legislation would restore and modernize the Voting Rights Act to combat
voter suppression and discrimination across the country. As the largest national Jewish social justice
organization focused exclusively on domestic policy, Bend the Arc and our members across the
country care deeply about ensuring all people are able to exercise their Constitutional right to shape
our democracy through voting.

The VRAA responds to the urgent need to undo the onslaught of abuses by state and local
governments in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder,
gutting the preclearance provision of the Voting Rights Act. Since that decision, 14 states have
imposed new voting restrictions that would have likely been deemed unacceptable were the VRA at
full strength. These policies have had real consequences, such as likely contributing to significantly
lower turnout amongst targeted populations, including people of color, in both the 2016 presidential
election and the 2018 midterms.

The fight to protect voting rights is deeply personal for American Jews. There is something
quintessentially American, and also quintessentially Jewish, about voting. After all, voting is a ritual,
part of belonging to the community. Additionally, the United States was the first federal government to
fully enfranchise Jews. For many Jews, our families migrated to the U.S. fleeing persecution, coming
here to find a country where, even if they were not always welcome or even fully protected under the
law, they nonetheless had a legal right to exist, and be a part of our democratic system at the basic
level.

Today, we draw inspiration not only from that part of the American Jewish experience, but also from
the Jewish leaders of the recent past who worked to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and those
today who participate in election protection efforts every Election Day. This is why Bend the Arc has
helped mobilize the faith community in support of the VRAA and organized National Days of Action for
voting rights to mark the 50th anniversary of the murder of Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and
Mickey Schwerner in 1964, and the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Again, I urge you to vote for the Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R.4) and against any MTR, to
ensure that all Americans are able to exercise their Constitutionally-protected right to vote.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block

Washington Director, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action