Senate Republicans Block Voting Rights Legislation in Last-Ditch Push

Democrats' Wide-Ranging Freedom to Vote Act Fails to Pass

Biden Calls for Filibuster Changes, National Election Day Holiday

On Wednesday night, Senate Republicans voted down the Freedom to Vote Act, a wide-ranging piece of legislation aimed at addressing voter registration, voting access, election integrity and security, redistricting, and campaign finance. The bill had been introduced in a previous session of Congress but was killed due to a failed vote for cloture.

The vote comes on the heels of a wave of restrictive voting bills introduced in 43 states and passed in 18 states in 2021. These bills have been widely criticized by Democrats and voting rights advocates for making it harder for people to vote, particularly people of color and low-income voters.

Senate Democrats, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, made a last-ditch push to pass the Freedom to Vote Act before the end of the session. However, Republicans filibustered the bill, preventing it from coming up for a final vote.

President Biden has called for changes to the Senate's filibuster rules in order to pass voting rights legislation. He has also called for making Election Day a national holiday, which would make it easier for all voters to participate in elections.

The failure of the Freedom to Vote Act is a major setback for Democrats and voting rights advocates. However, they have vowed to continue fighting for voting rights and to ensure that every American has the opportunity to vote.