Leading Small Business Groups Demand Filibuster Carve Out For Voting Rights

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A coalition of the nation’s leading small business organizations is demanding a filibuster carve out to pass voting rights.

Small Businesses Demand Filibuster Carve Out For Voting Rights

The coalition representing 400,000 of the nation’s small businesses wrote in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:

Since January 1, 2021, at least 18 states enacted more than 30 laws establishing deliberate barriers to casting ballots freely, safely, and equally. Polling has revealed that entrepreneurs, especially those of color, feel disadvantaged within the political system and want equitable access to the lawmakers and votes that impact their livelihoods.

To avert this disastrous disenfranchising impact on our democracy and harm to our economy, leading small business organizations collectively representing nearly 400,000 of our country’s small businesses – Small Business Majority, American Sustainable Business Council, and Main Street Alliance – today called for a carveout within filibuster rules, as proposed by Representative James Clyburn, to start the debate on our right to vote and then pass the Freedom to Vote Act. All Americans deserve equal access to the vote, and a healthy democracy and economy are predicated on allowing all voices to impact the political process.

Small Businesses Need A Thriving Democracy To Prosper.

“Today’s failed vote by the U.S. Senate to allow the debate to even start on the Freedom to Vote Act is disappointing news for entrepreneurs,” said John Arensmeyer, Founder & CEO of Small Business Majority. “Protecting the right to vote for all Americans, especially those who have been marginalized, is critical to creating an equitable path to entrepreneurship and an inclusive economy.”

Small businesses are a pathway to opportunity and a road out of poverty for millions of Americans. I should know because I’m one of those Americans. Small businesses are a small slice of the American dream that provides a vital backbone to local economies.

The nation’s small businesses know that capitalism can’t truly flourish without democracy, and that is why they are calling on the Senate to protect voting rights.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association