The Fight for Democracy Isn’t Abstract & It’s Happening Right Now

Every generation faces a defining test. Ours is simple to name and hard to ignore:

Will we protect American democracy or will we let it erode on our watch?

At the center of that struggle is the most basic principle of self-government, the right of every citizen to vote, and the ability to cast that vote without needless barriers, fear, or political gamesmanship.

The Increasing Threats to the Right to Vote

Day after day, we’re confronted with news of efforts from President Trump, Republican members of Congress, and GOP-controlled state legislatures that make voting harder instead of easier. These tactics have evolved.

They aren’t just the old-school voter suppression methods; they now include:

• Disinformation campaigns designed to confuse or discourage voters,

  
  

• Extreme gerrymandering that allows politicians to choose their voters instead of the other way around,

  
  

• Executive orders like the March 25, 2025 “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections” order which, despite its title, places restrictions instead of expanding access.

These administrative actions don’t carry the full force of law, but they do create something corrosive: doubt in the legitimacy of our elections. That doubt is the real danger.

Tennessee’s Barriers to Voting

The Constitution leaves most decisions about voting to the states. As a Tennessean, I see firsthand how restrictive our system has become. Registration is harder than it needs to be. The options for casting your ballot are narrower than in many other states. The process doesn’t match the reality of working families, seniors, or people with mobility issues.

At nearly every town hall, someone asks me about Tennessee’s disenfranchisement rules for formerly incarcerated people. It’s one of the most unequal and inaccessible systems in the country. Nearly 10% of adult Tennesseans — roughly 470,000 people — have lost the right to vote due to a felony conviction. Only about 3% ever get those rights restored.

And yes, I always emphasize: people convicted of the most violent crimes like murder or rape are permanently barred, as they should be. But the overwhelming majority of Tennesseans caught in this system are long past their sentence and tax-paying members of their communities. A democracy should not permanently silence hundreds of thousands of its own citizens.

What I’ll Do in Congress

Protecting the vote isn’t just a policy position for me, it’s the foundation of everything else we hope to fix. If Tennesseans can’t freely choose who represents them, then nothing else we debate in Congress will matter.

That’s why, when I’m elected to represent Tennessee’s 6th District, I’ll make voting rights a core part of my work from day one. I will fight for federal protections like the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and I will push back against any effort, from any party,

that makes it harder for people to participate in their own democracy.

Because in the end, this isn’t about left or right. It’s about whether we believe the people should choose their leaders or the other way around.

I know which side I’m on.

And I’m asking Tennesseans to stand on that side with me.