A Summer Showdown on Voting Rights
FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | June 3, 2021
“Texas legislators made very clear that Democrats in Congress must act to override the voter suppression and discrimination laws being enacted around the country. “
Texas Democratic legislators sent a powerful message to Democrats in Washington last week.
When the Democrats walked out of the Texas Legislature in the closing hours of this year’s session, they blocked one of the worst state voter suppression bills of 2021.
Those Texas legislators also made very clear that Democrats in Congress must act to override the voter suppression and discrimination laws being enacted around the country.
These kinds of voting restrictions will potentially prevent millions of eligible citizens from voting in the 2022 and 2024 congressional and presidential elections.
The Texas voter suppression legislation is expected to be considered again soon in a special session.
Both the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA) are must-pass bills that serve vital but different purposes in protecting the right to vote.
The For the People Act will supersede all existing state voting laws that conflict with its voting rules for federal elections, including the state voter suppression laws being enacted this year.
The VRAA, once enacted, will require pre-clearance by the Justice Department for future voting laws in certain states and localities, but does not apply to existing state and local laws. This law will prevent new voter suppression and discrimination laws from taking effect in those designated states and localities.
In using a filibuster to block the creation of a January 6th Commission to investigate the invasion of the Capitol, Senate Republicans made clear they will never provide the 10 votes necessary to break a filibuster of the For the People Act. The Act has 49 sponsors.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has stated that he intends to pass this legislation before the August recess and that “failure is not an option.”
Currently standing in the way is Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) who so far has refused to move off his position that he is opposed to changing the filibuster rule – a change which is necessary to pass the bill. Manchin cosponsored the bill in the last Congress but has not in this Congress.
We are headed for a summer showdown.
Senator Manchin has said “inaction is not an option.” He will get his chance to make his statement a reality in the coming weeks.
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