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Senate Democrats to try and advance John Lewis Voting Rights Act AGAIN

Senate Democrats to try and advance John Lewis Voting Rights Act AGAIN 2

Republicans filibuster and block the John Lewis voting rights bill for the FIFTH TIME: Kamala Harris bangs the Senate gavel after 48 GOP members voted no on starting debate

  • Republicans filibustered the John Lewis Voting Rights Act for the fifth time on Wednesday, stopping the bill from moving forward in the legislative process 
  • Vice President Kamala Harris came to Capitol Hill to preside over doomed vote
  • Republicans say bill gives the federal government sway over state management of elections 
  • Chuck Schumer blasted Republicans
  • ‘This is a low low point in the history of this body,’ he said 
  • Pressure growing on Schumer to change filibuster rule 
  • Biden said he would support that for voting rights legislation
  • Moderate Dems Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema don’t agree 


Republicans filibustered the John Lewis Voting Rights Act for the fifth time on Wednesday, stopping the bill from moving forward in the legislative process.

Vice President Kamala Harris came to Capitol Hill to preside over the doomed vote. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, before it even began, urged his GOP senators to vote against it, arguing voting laws should be in the hands of states.

It needed 60 votes to proceed, which means 10 Republicans had to support it. GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska did vote ‘yes’ but she was the only member of her party to do so.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer switched his vote to ‘no’ to preserve his option to bring up the bill again, leaving the final tally at 50-49.

Harris gaveled debate to a close. 

‘On this vote the yeas are 50, the nays are 49 – three fifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, the motion is not agreed to,’ Harris said closing the vote. 

And she told reporters on Capitol Hill after the vote: ‘It is a shame that nearly every Republican in the United States Senate refused to even allow a debate on this issue.’  

Vice President Kamala Harris came to Capitol Hill to preside over doomed vote on John Lewis Voting Rights bill

Vice President Kamala Harris came to Capitol Hill to preside over doomed vote on John Lewis Voting Rights bill 

The bill is named after the late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis(seen above in February 2015)

The bill is named after the late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis(seen above in February 2015)

The legislation, named after the late Congressman and civil rights activist, would replace part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down in 2013.

The bill would also restore voters ability to challenge laws, such as those related redistricting or voter ID requirements that could be seen as discriminatory.  

Schumer blasted Republicans for their lack of support.

‘This is a low low point in the history of this body,’ he said in remarks on the Senate floor.

‘It’s clear that the modern Republican Party has turned its back on protecting voting rights. The party of Lincoln is becoming the party of the big lie,’ he added.

But McConnell said the voting rights measure was little different from legislation rejected by Senate Republicans on three earlier occasions, noting that it would still give the federal government sway over state management of elections.

‘The Senate will reject this go-nowhere bill today, just like we’ve rejected every other piece of fruit from the same poisonous tree,’ McConnell noted.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer blasted Republicans after the vote

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer blasted Republicans after the vote

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer switched his vote to 'no' to preserve his option to bring up the bill again, leaving the final tally at 50-49

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer switched his vote to ‘no’ to preserve his option to bring up the bill again, leaving the final tally at 50-49

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, before the vote even began, urged his GOP senators to vote against it, arguing voting laws should be in the hands of states

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, before the vote even began, urged his GOP senators to vote against it, arguing voting laws should be in the hands of states

Wednesday’s result will likely bring about another round of calls for Schumer to end the filibuster, the legislative procedure that requires 60 votes to move legislation forward. 

It has enabled Republican opposition to the Democrats agenda. Democrats only hold 50 seats in the Senate. 

‘The filibuster is used far more than ever, today than ever before,’ Schumer said after the vote. 

‘Some might wonder if any of the great accomplishments of the past would have a chance of passage today. Would the Social Security Act passed the modern Senate? What about Medicare and Medicaid act? So what about the Civil Rights Act of 1964?,’ he added.

President Joe Biden said last month that Democrats should ‘fundamentally alter the filibuster’ for voting rights legislation.

But moderate Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have objected to its elimination.

Democrats have made election reform a priorityafter several Republican-led states passed voting laws in the wake of Donald Trump’s false claim he lost the election through voter fraud. 

The John Lewis Voting Rights bill passed the House in August 219-212 along straight party lines. 

At least 19 states have passed laws making it harder to vote, according to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice.

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