For Immediate Release:
November 3, 2021
Today Senate Republicans, with the exception of Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), voted to block debate on the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and prevent the bill from receiving a floor vote.
Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, had this reaction:
“With the exception of Senator Murkowski, the Senate minority has once again refused to even debate an urgent voting rights bill. It can’t end here.
“Senator Manchin and many others have worked days and nights to develop bills that meet the moment. The Senate majority must not squander this chance to keep our elections fair. Senate procedure can’t be more sacred than the vote itself.
“Our democracy needs reinforcement now. The attacks by those who believe in the Big Lie started before the 2020 election, and they haven’t stopped. Many of these attacks use state law to interfere in democracy. Congress must intervene.
“Together, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act provide the protections that American voters need to fend off racial discrimination and partisan manipulation.
“The Senate majority, the House majority, and the president support both the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. The Senate must act now to get these two bills to the president’s desk.”
Brennan Center Resources
- “Voting Laws Roundup: October 2021” (Oct. 4, 2021)
- “Testimony on Protecting a Precious, Almost Sacred Right,” Wendy Weiser, testimony, Senate Committee on the Judiciary (Oct. 6, 2021; written testimony here)
- “Racial Turnout Gap Grew in Jurisdictions Previously Covered by the Voting Rights Act” (Aug. 20, 2021)
- “How the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Targets Discrimination,” Wendy Weiser, testimony, House Judiciary Committee’s Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Subcommittee, opening statement (Aug. 16, 2021; written testimony here)
- “Large Racial Turnout Gap Persisted in 2020 Election” (Aug. 6, 2021)
- “Reversing the Supreme Court’s Latest Blow to Voting Rights [Brnovich],” Sean Morales-Doyle, testimony, House Judiciary Committee’s Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Subcommittee, opening statement (July 16, 2021; written testimony here)
- “Honor John Lewis and Protect the Right to Vote,” Michael Waldman, opening statement, Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on Elections (June 24, 2021; written testimony here)
- “Oversight of the Voting Rights Act: A Continuing Record of Discrimination,” Wendy Weiser, testimony, House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (May 27, 2021; written testimony here)
