Senate Republicans have again blocked another significant voting rights bill.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is one of two major pieces of voting rights legislation that the Democrats are trying to push through Congress in order to prevent attempts by the Republicans to erode easy access to voting. These efforts typically affect communities of color across America.
This bill would have restored a key part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It required certain places that had repeated evidence of voting discrimination over the past 25 years to require voting changes be pre-cleared by the federal government. It was approved by the House of Representatives in August.
This is the fourth time this year that Republicans have filibustered federal voting rights legislation. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer suggested that Democrats are considering options for getting rid of the filibuster in order to restore the Senate to its status as a deliberative body.
This year between January and the end of September, 19 states enacted nearly three dozen laws to make it harder to vote, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. The John Lewis bill would not have blocked all of these measures, but would have required some states to have their policies reviewed before implementation.
The other major voting rights bill, the Freedom to Vote Act, would make it easier to register to vote, make available automatic and same-day registration, outlaw excessive partisan gerrymandering, ensure early voting options, allow all voters to request mail-in ballots, and make Election Day a public holiday. There is increasing urgency for Democrats to pass both of these bills.
The bill is named after the former congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis, who died last year at the age of 80 after a battle with cancer. He was the last surviving speaker from the 1963 March on Washington, which he helped organize.
He also led the famous Selma to Montgomery march in 1965, which led to the swift passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
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