On MLK Holiday Martin Luther King III calls out U.S. Senate on failure to pass voting rights bills

On the national observance of Martin Luther King Junior's birthday, his eldest son called out the Senate for its failure so far to pass voting rights legislation.

Senate Republicans block John Lewis voting rights bill

Senate Democrats failed to advance a revised version of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act on Wednesday after Republicans blocked the vote from advancing to debate.

The legislation would replace part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down in 2013 and would aim to restore Justice Department review of changes in election law in states with a history of discrimination.

The bill did not receive the 60 votes needed to overcome a legislative hurdle called a filibuster, preventing the start of debate on the legislation.

In a vote of 50 to 49, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the only Republican who supported proceeding to debate. Speaking from the Senate floor prior to the vote, she said while she had "reservations" on the legislation, she believed it was the best starting point to begin debating voting rights legislation.

The revised bill that Republicans blocked on Wednesday includes changes such as what factors courts can consider when determining if Section 2 of the VRA has been violated. The bill also drops a requirement for localities with growing minority populations to get preclearance for changes on offering food or drinks to people waiting in line to vote. The change has been included under the earlier version of the bill's new requirement for "practice-based" preclearance.

Schumer to force vote on John Lewis voting rights bill

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Monday that he will force a vote this week on a voting rights bill named after the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.)

Schumer will force a vote on Wednesday on whether to debate the bill. It is expected to fail to get the 60 votes needed to advance.

"I will file cloture on the motion to proceed to the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, setting up a vote to take place on Wednesday," Schumer said from the Senate floor.

"If there's anything that merits debate here in the Senate, it's protecting the precious right of Americans to participate in our elections," Schumer added.

The voting rights bill named after Lewis would update the Voting Rights Act (VRA) to strengthen sections of the 1965 law that were gutted by the Supreme Court's 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, which focused on Section 5 of the VRA that required Justice Department preclearance before some states could change voting laws, and the 2021 Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee decision, which advocates believe weakened Section 2 of the 1965 law focused on racially targeted voting policies.

Schumer pledged that if Republicans help start debate on the bill, which is unlikely, that they would have a chance to offer amendments. Even if Republicans allowed a debate on the bill, they could still block it from passing because it will need to overcome a second 60-vote hurdle.

"I am prepared to offer a full-fledged debate befitting this great chamber. Republicans will be given the chance to raise their objections, to offer amendments and make changes to the bill," Schumer said.

"I know that both parties have serious disagreements on this important issue, so we want to hear from the other side what they propose. But for that to happen, we need to start debate first. We need to vote to allow the Senate to work through its process," Schumer added.

[MSN]

House approves John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

The House approved the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act on Tuesday in a party-line vote, kicking the legislation to the Senate — where it faces longer odds of passage.

The bill was approved 219-212, with zero Republicans voting for it.

“Nothing is more fundamental to our democracy than the right to vote.” Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), a main sponsor of the bill, said from the floor during debate on the legislation.

“It was in my district that ordinary Americans peacefully protested for the equal right to vote for all Americans,” Sewell noted, referring to the struggle of the late Lewis and other civil rights activists on the Edmund Pettus Bridge 56 years ago.

The bill approved Tuesday centers around restoring the federal preclearance originally instituted by the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which was eroded by a 2013 Supreme Court decision.

The preclearance required states and jurisdictions with histories of racial discrimination — largely the Jim Crow South — to gain approval from the Department of Justice before implementing any change to voting procedure.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]