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Stacey Abrams on state voting laws: 'We're seeing a subversion of democracy'

Stacey Abrams, politician and activist, has unveiled a new month-long campaign aimed at mobilizing young voters for the passage of the For the People Act.

The effort, dubbed "Hot Call Summer," will feature virtual events, a paid media campaign and plans to reach at least 10 million voters through a texting campaign in states that have recently passed voting restrictions laws or are advancing such bills.

"When you break democracy for anyone you break it for everyone," Abrams, who is also co-founder of Fintech startup Now, said on Yahoo Finance Live. "It may seem like a small thing, restricting who has access to the right to vote or limiting the amount of water you can get when you've been in line for eight hours. The array of laws that are being proposed and passed. They're limiting access to the right to vote. They're anti-election workers... We're seeing a subversion of democracy."

Republican lawmakers in states across the U.S. have made tremendous efforts to overhaul state voting laws. At least 14 states enacted 22 new laws that would restrict voting access, and more than 15 other states were advancing laws with restrictive provisions, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

States have already enacted more than 20 laws this year that will make it harder for Americans to vote.
States have already enacted more than 20 laws this year that will make it harder for Americans to vote.

The overall effort to pass the For the People Act faces an uphill battle given the political makeup of the evenly divided Senate. That coupled with West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin's announcement that he'll vote against the bill, in what he says is a bid to promote more bipartisanship, raises serious questions about the bill's prospects.

Manchin has received backlash from many in his party for the move, prompting hundreds of demonstrators to protest his opposition to the bill outside of his local office.

For Abrams, the pressure doesn’t only lie on Manchin, but other senators across the aisle.

"I would say to him [Manchin] what I would say to Senator Lisa Murkowski or Senator Tom Cotton. It's not about partisanship. This is about patriotism," she said. "When you put in place impediments that are against voters, against our election workers or that undermine our democracy you are not winning new elections. you are undermining what makes this country so great. We should all be focused on how do we ensure that we protect and preserve our democracy. Yes, we will fight over who gets to win, but fight should be fair."

Bridgette Webb is a producer at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @bridgetteAwebb.

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