Singer Katy Perry and her fiance, actor Orlando Bloom, released an ad on Thursday depicting a dystopian future in which “democracy is dead.”
The ad, released by the advocacy group RepresentUs, depicts the pair calling people of 2021 from the year 2055, saying the trouble all began when “the voting rights bills died in the Senate.”
Before the two begin their message, the face of West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin — who has come out in opposition to some parts of the For the People Act, a sweeping piece of legislation that would change a bevy of election procedures — flickers off a television screen.
MANCHIN DID NOT PERSONALLY MEET WITH TEXAS LEGISLATORS LOBBYING FOR ELECTION OVERHAUL
“You are our only hope,” Bloom says. “The America you know doesn’t exist in our future. Democracy is dead. We have no voice. The regime watches our every move.”
“It started when voter suppression ran wild all over America,” Perry adds. “The voting rights bills died in the Senate. Polling places closed. We lost our right to vote.”
Orlando Bloom and @KatyPerry have an urgent warning from the future: You must fight to save our democracy — #WhileYouCan.
And right now, our democracy depends on passing the #ForThePeopleAct. pic.twitter.com/HiatXQQpbl
— RepresentUs (@representus) June 17, 2021
The ad’s goal is meant to encourage voters to call their senators and tell them to pass the For the People Act.
In addition to decreasing the ability of localities to require voter identification and expand access to absentee voting, the For the People Act would increase the power of the Federal Election Commission and change the number of its members from six to five. Currently, the commission is controlled by three Republicans, two Democrats, and one independent.
The bill passed the House earlier in March and is expected to head to a floor vote in the Senate later this month.
It is expected to fail in the evenly divided Senate, given Manchin has said he does not support ending the 60-vote filibuster threshold in order to move it through without Republican support. But he appeared open to reforming it in a private conversation with major donors, according to the Intercept.
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“This future doesn’t have to be,” Bloom said. “You have the power to change it. Save democracy while you can.”
“Call your senator now,” Perry said.
“Tell Daisy we love her,” Bloom added, referring to the couple’s infant daughter.
