We do a lot of things right in the U.S. of A. We lead the world in movies. Barbecue. Space exploration. Theme parks. 

One place we’re falling off? The way we do elections. 

American democracy is designed to give everyone an equal voice in our government. But we’ve been getting derailed by dark money, gerrymandering, and voter suppression. 

But there’s a way we can get back on track: the Freedom to Vote Act. 

If you’re wondering what it does, the answer is A LOT. 

First, it would bring transparency to limitless amounts of secret money spent by special interest groups in support of political causes, referred to as “dark money.” Right now it’s impossible to track where all the “dark money” comes from. It could be billionaires, supervillains —

Or even worse, it could be coming from foreign governments interfering in our elections. We need to shine a light on where this money is coming from. The Freedom to Vote Act would require any entity spending more than $10,000 on an election to disclose all donors and require online political ads to clearly identify who is behind them.

It would also help reduce the influence of big money in our elections by establishing a voluntary small donor matching system for House candidates. 

Second: The Freedom to Vote Act prohibits partisan gerrymandering. Whether you live in a blue state or a red one, you don’t want your vote diluted by an unfair map.

Getting rid of partisan gerrymandering would have the added benefit of eliminating so-called “safe seats” and make our elections more competitive. One study found that in 2024, 87% of U.S. House seats were considered “safe” for one party or the other because of partisan gerrymandering. 24 seats were completely uncontested. This can result in representatives who are less responsive to constituents and more ideologically extreme. That’s not democracy.

Third: The Freedom to Vote Act would bring our voter registration process out of the stone age. 

The U.S. ranks embarrassingly low in voter registration and turnout. More than a quarter of eligible American voters aren’t even registered to vote.

This is partly because voter registration requirements vary widely from state to state, with some places making it harder than others. The Freedom to Vote Act would automatically register all eligible voters. 

Some U.S. states already do this, like Oregon, West Virginia, and Maine.

The legislation also sets minimum federal standards for mail-in voting and early in-person voting, making it easier for all eligible Americans to cast their ballots.  

With these changes, an estimated 3.8 million more Americans would have voted in the 2024 election. That’s more than the populations of Rhode Island, Montana, and Delaware put together. 

And there’s more! 

Increased election security. A paper trail for every vote. Defined standards for election audits. Protections for poll workers.

If we pass the Freedom to Vote Act, alongside the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to fully restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we can help ensure everybody has an equal say in our democracy. 

And we can add voting to the list of things Americans do better than anyone else. Like chocolate chip cookies. Did I mention chocolate chip cookies?