Senate Democrats failed to change the legislative filibuster for the voting rights bill late on Wednesday night, after Senators Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona) voted with Republicans to oppose the rules reform.
Senators voted 52-48 to defeat the rules change, which would have nixed the 60-vote hurdle for the election bill. To have been successful, Democrats would need total unity from all 50 of their members, plus Vice President Kamala Harris to break a tie. Though all 50 Democrats supported the voting rights bill, all 50 Republicans held together in opposition, leaving Democrats 10 votes short of the 60 needed to break the filibuster. The final vote was 51 to 49, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) voting with opponents in a maneuver aimed at allowing the measure to be reconsidered later. At issue was legislation that combined two bills that Republicans had previously blocked four times with a filibuster, the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The legislation would establish nationwide standards for ballot access that aim to nullify new restrictions Republicans have imposed in states around the country following the 2020 elections. Among them are a minimum of 15 consecutive days of early voting and a requirement that all voters be able to request to vote by mail. The measure would also establish new automatic voter registration programs and make Election Day a national holiday. And it would restore elements of the landmark Voting Rights Act that was gutted by the Supreme Court in a series of decisions, including a requirement that jurisdictions with a history of discrimination have voting changes approved by the Justice Department or federal courts before they can be put in place.
The Senate is currently working on confirming the nomination of Holly A. Thomas to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit.
The House is working on completing consideration of H.R. 4673 – EVEST Act. The House will adjourn today and will return for votes on Tuesday, February 1st at 6:30 P.M.
Adam S. Olsen, Washington, D.C.
