FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JANUARY 6, 2022
The lesson of January 6: We must always be ready to defend democracy
[TRIANGLE, VA.] United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:
“The terrible images of January 6, 2021 are still seared in the minds of Americans as a reminder of what can happen when politicians refuse to accept the outcome of free and fair elections and instead attempt to stay in power by any means they can use.
“At the end of that day, however, democracy prevailed and a majority in Congress did their duty to affirm the clear decision of the American people.
“But in the year since, legislatures in state after state have made it harder for all citizens to vote and easier for political hacks of one party or another to deny a democratic outcome of an election that they do not like.
“These actions are a direct attack on American freedom, and Congress must not let them stand.
“It has the power to ensure that every eligible voter is able to cast a ballot and that their vote be counted, without fear of it being thrown out at the whim of some political crony.
“Millions of Americans, including myself, have served our nation on battlefields all over the world.
“We swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic.
“Members of Congress swore to do the same, and I call on them to remember the lessons of January 6, 2021 and take whatever actions they must to defend our Constitution and the freedoms it guarantees. Pass the Freedom to Vote Act.”
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