[PORTLAND, ME] – The League of Women Voters of Maine (LWVME) is participating in a 24-hour hunger strike in solidarity with Arizona students, Black faith leaders, and many other concerned U.S. citizens.
The strike demands that Congress pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act now while there is still a chance to protect the most vulnerable voters ahead of the 2022 primary elections.
An overwhelming majority of voters support the reforms within the Freedom To Vote Act. Across the country a number of voting rights are under attack from dark money and restrictive voting legislation. Those participating in the strike are united in demanding that we get dark money out of politics, ban partisan gerrymandering, and make it easier for working people, young people, and people of color to vote.
“This week is the make-or-break moment for the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, and quite frankly, one of the moments that will decide the survival of U.S. democracy,” said Anna Kellar, the Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Maine, who is participating in the strike.
While the League will participate in a 24-hour hunger strike, most strikes will continue indefinitely until the Freedom to Vote bill passes in the U.S. Senate.
“In 1917, Alice Paul and other jailed women’s suffrage activists took part in a hunger strike, which helped to convince President Woodrow Wilson to back the 19th amendment. We are following in this proud tradition to underscore the urgency of the threat to our republic,” added striker Ann Luther, an LWVME board member and Trenton resident.