Republicans Block Voting Rights Bill as Senate Vote Comes Up Short

As expected, the Senate failed to invoke cloture on the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act on Wednesday night.

Earlier this month the House passed the bill, which is a hybrid of the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer put the legislation to a vote, knowing that it would fail to gain the necessary 60 votes to end debate. The vote was 49-51.

All Democrats voted for cloture with the exception of Schumer, who changed his vote to “no” so that the bill may potentially be brought up a later date. Meanwhile, all 50 Republicans voted against.

The bill has numerous provisions designed make it easier to vote and to register to vote. Among the measures, the act would expand automatic voter registration and same-day registration, make election day a national holiday, allow more people to vote by mail, and require states to expansive early voting.

The legislation also seeks to end partisan gerrymandering of districts and require the disclosure of dark money.

Democrats are looking to pass the bill as a response to some of the restrictive measures that some states implemented after the 2020 presidential election, which Donald Trump falsely claimed was rigged against him. That prompted Republican legislatures across the country to pass a spate of so called election integrity laws.

Conservatives have denounced the Democrats’ bill as an unconstitutional federalization of the elections.