Adams Joins House Democrats in Passing Historic Voting Rights, Anti-Corruption and Ethics Reforms

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight, Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) joined House Democrats in passing H.R. 1, the For the People Act, a sweeping anti-corruption package to clean up Washington, protect and expand voting rights, restore integrity to government and put the needs and priorities of the American people ahead of special interests. Adams is a cosponsor of the legislation, and four of her amendments are included in the final House bill, including an amendment to improve USPS's handling of mail ballots during election season.

"North Carolina voters are tired of politicians playing games with our elections," said Adams. "For centuries, North Carolina has disenfranchised or suppressed the votes of Black Americans through any means possible. Most recently, we have experienced a decade of voter suppression laws that target minority voters ‘with surgical precision,' and illegally gerrymandered maps that have thrown our elections into chaos over and over. H.R. 1 will clean up corruption in Washington and return us to a government of, by, and for the people."

"I voted for H.R. 1 because we must protect our most important right: the right to vote. This bill ensures the integrity of our elections, holds elected officials accountable, and ends the era of corporate money in politics. This legislation will return power back to the American people. The late Shirley Chisholm used to say, ‘if they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.' Tonight, I voted to give the American people a seat at the table once again."

Adams also secured the inclusion of four key amendments to the For the People Act:

• An amendment that requires the US Postal Service to conduct daily sweeps during election season for ballots in postal facilities or post offices to ensure that ballots are expeditiously sent to local election entities.
• An amendment requiring that, in order to be eligible for funds under the program for institutions of higher education demonstrating excellence in voter registration, institutions must have engaged in initiatives to facilitate the enfranchisement of groups of individuals that have historically faced barriers to voting.
• An amendment that requires school districts to describe how they will prioritize access to initiatives for schools serving their most vulnerable students when applying for funds under the "Pilot Program for Providing Voter Registration Information to Secondary School Students."
• An amendment that requires an appropriations set-aside for minority-serving institutions (MSIs) under the grant program for institutions of higher education demonstrating excellence in voter registration.

Click here for a fact sheet on H.R. 1.

Key provisions of H.R. 1, the For the People Act, include:

• Expanding automatic voter registration and same day registration.
• Strengthening vote by mail, early voting and ballot access.
• Combating voter intimidation and voter suppression.
• Protecting elections from foreign interference.
• Fixing partisan gerrymandering.
• Promoting digital ad transparency.
• Forcing disclosure of dark money.
• Reining in lobbyist influence.
• Enforcing ethics and conflict of interest rules for all government officials.
• Empowering small donors with matching funds paid for by lawbreakers, not taxpayers.

Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. represents North Carolina's 12th Congressional District (Charlotte) and serves as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture. Additionally, she serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Education & Labor Committee, where she serves as Chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee. She is a leader on Postal Service issues in the House of Representatives, and authored an article on US Postal Service Reform for the Harvard Law School Journal on Legislation.