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<\/p>\nThe Senate blocked voting rights legislation, as expected, even as Democratic lawmakers and President Joe Biden warned that no less than the preservation of democracy was at stake.<\/p>\n
During the day on Wednesday, a parade of Senate Democrats gave impassioned speeches on the Senate floor to highlight the need for the legislation to counter GOP-led moves to restrict voting in a number of states.<\/p>\n
The vote, 49-51, was short of the 60 necessary under filibuster rules to end debate and move the bills forward. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) switched his vote at the last minute, a procedural maneuver so that the legislation could be brought up again.<\/p>\n
Schumer next plans to schedule a vote to change the rules of the filibuster so that the legislation could move forward with a simple majority, rather than a 60-vote threshold. But Democrats don’t have enough votes to make such a move, with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) opposing the changes and all Republicans likely against it.<\/p>\n
In her remarks to the Senate, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) cited the rollback of same-day voter registration in Montana and voting restrictions passed in Georgia.<\/p>\n
“For every one of these laws passed, in 19 states, it has been by a simple majority,” she said.<\/p>\n
The Freedom to Vote Act: The more sweeping of the two bills would establish early vote requirements and vote-by-mail standards; protect local election officials from removal for political reasons; ban gerrymandering; create automatic voter registration standards; increase campaign finance disclosure; and mandate post election audits. It also would make Election Day a national holiday and would limit polling place lines to no more than 30 minutes, among other changes.<\/p>\n
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act: The legislation would require that states get clearance from the federal government to certain changes to their voting laws, essentially restoring a provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. A state would be subject to “pre-clearance” for 10 years if: there were 15 or more voting rights violations in the state during the previous 25 years; 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, with at least at one committed by the state itself; or three or more violations in previous 25 years and the state administers the elections. The bill also would set factors that courts must consider when hearing challenges to a state or locality’s voting practices.<\/p>\n
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