One year ago, on Jan. 6, insurrectionists attacked our nation's Capitol, in support of the attempts by former President Trump and his allies to supersede the will of the people and overturn the 2020 election results.
Despite the 2020 election being the most secure and most scrutinized election in recent U.S. history - if not ever - and despite the results of that election having been verified in numerous audits, recounts, and nonpartisan certification processes around the country, to this day there are still partisan politicians attempting to bend democracy to fit their narrative.
First, the insurrectionists attempted to suppress the rights of eligible voters to cast their ballots securely. Then, they attempted to stop by force the legal counting of ballots legitimately cast by eligible voters.
They even tried to use state legislatures to overturn the dutifully-arrived-at results and disregard the will of the voters in favor of their own political preferences, culminating in open, violent insurrection.
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Last year, our democracy was bent to the point of nearly breaking. Fortunately, it did not.
However, the strength of our democracy cannot stand alone. Every day, partisan hacks are using baseless claims of voter fraud to chip away at the resolve of American voters, without presenting a single shred of evidence to their claims.
In 12 states, 15 politicians who have cast doubt or denial on the 2020 election results are running to become the next chief election official for those states.
If we don't act now to rebuild our strongholds of democracy, this great American experiment will fail.
Let the Jan. 6 anniversary be a wake-up call to Congress: in Vermont we have worked to expand access to the ballot box and protect the rights of voters. In other states, access to the ballot box is under continual assault.
It is essential that Congress act to create minimum standards for states.
It's time for the destructive lies to end. Election denial and voter fraud cry-wolf tactics have done nothing but tear our country apart.
It's time that we come together to heal, in the interest of ensuring our democracy stands strong for generations to come.
The test ahead of us is one of our biggest yet.