The For the People Act

In a major step toward fixing our broken system of elections, lawmakers in both chambers of Congress are advancing a comprehensive democracy reform bill — the For the People Act. The bill passed the House as H.R. 1 on March 3rd and has been designated S. 1 in the Senate. A previous version of the bill passed the House in 2019. The For the People Act would:

• Make it easier to vote and counter voter suppression by streamlining voter registration, expanding early voting and voting by mail, restoring the right to vote for people who were formerly incarcerated and committing to restore the Voting Rights Act to full strength — so that all voices can be heard;
• Fix our campaign funding system through an innovative reform that boosts the power of ordinary people — so that politicians are beholden to voters, not billionaires and corporations;
• End partisan gerrymandering by ensuring that district lines are drawn through a fair process — so that people pick their representatives, not the other way around;
• Update aging voting infrastructure to protect against foreign cyberattacks and machine malfunctions — so that Americans can have confidence in the integrity of our elections; and
• Strengthen ethics rules aimed at curbing corruption — so that we can ensure those running our government are doing the people’s business, not their own.

To learn more about the For the People Act, see:

• The text of the bill as passed by the House of Representatives
• The Brennan Center’s comprehensive breakdown and analysis of the bill’s provisions
• The Brennan Center’s case for why Congress must pass the For the People Act
• The Biden Administration’s Statement of Administration Policy in support of the For the People Act
• Brennan Center Staff members Wendy Weiser, Daniel Weiner, and Tim Lau’s explanation of how the For the People Act would respond to the current crises facing the country
• The Brennan Center’s letter to members of Congress in support of the For the People Act
• The previous version of the bill as passed in the House on March 8, 2019, the Brennan Center’s breakdown of its provisions, and letter in support of the bill