WASHINGTON — Today, April 30, 2020, the Voter Protection Project is announcing their endorsement of Adam Hattersley in Florida’s 15th Congressional District.
Founded in 2019, the Voter Protection Project is a leading political arm working to end partisan gerrymandering and voter suppression across the country. In light of the Supreme Court’s Rucho v. Common Cause ruling last year, which stated that federal courts cannot regulate partisan gerrymandering, VPP has been taking the fight to Republicans state-by-state supporting candidates for office at the federal and state levels that are champions for voter equality.
“The Voter Protection Project is officially placing Ross Spano on notice,” said Voter Protection Project President Matt Liebman. “We won’t sit back as self-serving politicians like Ross Spano use voter suppression laws to prevent Americans from being able to safely participate in our elections.”
Liebman continued:
“Adam Hattersley has been a tireless advocate for making sure that every voice is heard through the expansion of voting rights. The Voter Protection Project is proud to endorse this voting rights champion for Congress.”
Hattersley currently represents District 59 in the Florida House and is running against incumbent Rep. Ross Spano in Congress, who has done nothing but help to suppress voting rights in his community. In 2017, Rep. Spano refused to even hear the bill which would have restored voting rights for returning citizens in Florida, which was later passed through a citizen’s initiative and approved by over 60% of Florida voters. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rep. Spano has stated that he does not support allocating funds to ensure safe voting in November.
Conversely, Hattersley has a proven record in office as a champion for voting rights. In 2018, after the Florida legislature attempted to restrict voting restoration to only those who paid all fines, Adam publicly spoke out about the bill, calling it an “unconstitutional poll tax that created two classes of returning citizens,” which made the ACLU take notice and file a lawsuit against it.
“As a Navy Veteran and State Representative, I’ve stood up to politicians like Ross Spano that have spent their career trying to undermine the right of people to vote,” said Hattersley. “In Congress, the people of Florida can count on me to restore fairness and equality to our voting process.”
Florida’s 15th Congressional District has historically been a Republican stronghold, but Rep. Spano’s record has made him vulnerable and the race has been considered one to watch.
To learn more about the Voter Protection Project, visit protectvoting.org.
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