Cookeville Rally Supporting Voting Rights, For The People Act

A rally in support of voter rights and restoring the 1965 Voting Rights Act on the Putnam County Courthouse lawn Friday.

Cookeville-Putnam County NAACP President Thomas Savage said the Finish The Job Rally is a chance to educate the community. Savage said some states are working to make voting more difficult for the working class.

“They put one box where you can drop off your vote, in one place, in one county, no matter the size of the place,” Savage said. “They question you when you are lining up to vote. It’s just attack, attack, attack and we’re not going to stand for it.”

Savage said there will be information given out about registering to vote and the federal legislation known as the For The People Act. He said when people attend at 10 AM they can expect speakers, singing and peace.

“We will look back on where we came from, people of color haven’t been voting that long anyway since the 1965 Civil Rights Voting Act,” Savage said. “So with that, there was a lot of blood, sweat and tears that went into that. So we will review that history and reflect on why it is so important and with this rally, our plan is to fire up people around us and give them a message with much rhetorical value helping them understand that our right to vote has been attacked.”

The For The People Act is intended to curb voter suppression, outlaw partisan gerrymandering, overhaul campaign finance laws. Savage said this is also about supporting the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, restoring the full protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

He said this rally is a response to attempts to block voting rights after President Biden’s 2020 election win and about finishing the passage of The For The People Act. Savage said this is part of a national movement that will be happening across the United States in support of voting and civil rights.