Ben Cardin was elected in 2006 to represent the people of Maryland in the United States Senate. He serves on the Environment and Public Works, Finance, Budget, Small Business, Foreign Relations, and Budget committees. He previously was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator Cardin believes that equal opportunity for every American is only possible when the government protects the civil rights and civil liberties of every citizen. For this reason, Senator Cardin has had a personal focus on ending deceptive voting practices in elections, since arriving in the Senate. He worked with then-Senator Barack Obama on legislation in 2007 and has recently teamed with Senator Chuck Schumer to lead the current fight for the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act. He also is the lead Senate sponsor of the Democracy Restoration Act that would create a national standard to restore voting rights for former felons.