New York City and New York state elected officials are pushing for the expansion of voting rights as the country commemorates the one-year anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

“Let us hold on to our beliefs, our values, have faith in our institutions, defend our fragile democracy. Not with violence because violence would never succeed, but with the courage of our convictions,” elected officials told News 12 as they rallied at Grand Army Plaza. 

State and local leaders gathered Thursday at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, the 80-foot tall monument dedicated to the defenders of our union and city.

They say the events of Jan. 6 last year show the importance of free and fair elections, as well as the need to expand voting rights. That is why those who rallied Thursday expressed their support for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. 

The bill, proposed in 2021, would expand the government’s ability to respond to voting discrimination. 

The group, assembled by state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, says it is important to keep track of what’s going on around the nation. 

It has passed the House and now needs to go to the Senate before being signed by the president.