Republicans block Democrats’ voting rights push in the Senate
2 years, 11 months ago

Republicans block Democrats’ voting rights push in the Senate

LA Times  

“Win, lose or draw, members of this chamber were elected to debate and to vote, particularly on such an important issue as this,” Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, pictured Tuesday, said on the Senate floor before Wednesday’s votes. And so I think the most important thing to do is try to inform — not educate — inform the public of what’s at stake in stark terms, and let them make judgments and let them know who’s for them and who’s against and who’s there and who’s not.” As the president answered questions, Manchin spoke on the Senate floor to reiterate his position and challenge the chamber to work together, “I cannot support such a perilous course for this nation when elected leaders are sent to Washington to unite our country, not to divide our country,” Manchin said of efforts to change the filibuster rules. “If NASA or the Navy functioned like the United States Senate, we would never get the rocket off the launchpad and in combat we’d never complete the mission,” Kelly said in a statement. If campaign finance and voting rights reforms are blocked again this week, I will support the proposed changes to pass them with a majority vote.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called Democrats’ effort “a sad spectacle” and “a direct assault on the core identity of the Senate” by Schumer.

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History of this topic

Republican Party is waging a nationwide assault on voting rights
2 years, 8 months ago

Republican Party is waging a nationwide assault on voting rights

Al Jazeera  

If no action is taken, the upcoming midterms may mark the beginning of the end for multiracial democracy in the US. Republicans’ outright war on voting rights takes place within the context of a political party that appeals to a dwindling base of aggrieved and angry white people who want to “Make America Great Again” and return to a day …

US Senate sinks President Joe Biden's push for major voting rights reforms
2 years, 11 months ago

US Senate sinks President Joe Biden's push for major voting rights reforms

Firstpost  

Democrats and voting rights activists have championed the measures as a necessary response to Republican efforts to restrict voting, especially among Black and Latino Americans Washington**, United States:** US senators dealt a death blow on 19 January, 2022, to President Joe Biden’s push to defend voting rights against what Democrats frame as an all-out assault by conservative states targeting racial …

US Senate sinks Biden’s major push to protect voting rights
2 years, 11 months ago

US Senate sinks Biden’s major push to protect voting rights

Al Jazeera  

Two conservative Democrats voted with all 50 Republicans to block change in rules thereby blocking passage of White House initiatives. US senators have scuppered President Joe Biden’s push to defend voting rights against what Democrats have framed as an all-out assault by conservative states targeting racial minorities. “We will continue to advance necessary legislation and push for Senate procedural changes …

US Senate sinks Biden push for major voting rights reforms
2 years, 11 months ago

US Senate sinks Biden push for major voting rights reforms

Deccan Chronicle  

WASHINGTON: US senators dealt a death blow Wednesday to President Joe Biden's push to defend voting rights against what Democrats frame as an all-out assault by conservative states targeting racial minorities. Faced with a blockade from Republicans complaining of federal overreach, the ruling Democrats were unable to push through the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement …

Democrats fail to change Senate rules to overcome GOP opposition on voting rights
2 years, 11 months ago

Democrats fail to change Senate rules to overcome GOP opposition on voting rights

NPR  

Democrats fail to change Senate rules to overcome GOP opposition on voting rights Enlarge this image toggle caption Jose Luis Magana/AP Jose Luis Magana/AP After Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a floor vote on two voting rights bills that President Biden has said are a moral imperative, Democrats failed to unite in a push to change Senate rules that would …

Senate Democrats pile on President Biden's very bad week
2 years, 11 months ago

Senate Democrats pile on President Biden's very bad week

Salon  

After conservatives spent the week in a tizzy over President Joe Biden voting rights effort, Senate Democrats seemed to pile on, suggesting he went too far and signaling that they will not support him. "Perhaps the president went a little too far in rhetoric," Illinois' Dick Durbin, the number two Democrat in the Senate, said after Biden's speech Wednesday. Biden …

Editorial: Keep the fight going to protect voting rights
2 years, 11 months ago

Editorial: Keep the fight going to protect voting rights

LA Times  

It’s coming down to the wire for democracy in the United States. Voting rights and election integrity are under assault in several states where Republican legislatures last year enacted an unprecedented number of restrictive laws to suppress voting and undermine elections. The best hope for the health and longevity of our democratic institutions is for Congress to pass the Freedom …

Kamala Harris slams Joe Manchin and Republicans for failing to protect democracy over filibuster
2 years, 11 months ago

Kamala Harris slams Joe Manchin and Republicans for failing to protect democracy over filibuster

Daily Mail  

Vice President Kamala Harris slammed lawmakers who do not support President Joe Biden's agenda or his push to eliminate the filibuster, accusing them of violating their 'oath to protect and defend our Constitution' by not doing so. Vice President Kamala Harris discussed opposition to voting rights legislation during an interview with NBC News on Wednesday night Harris accused fellow Democrats …

Mitch McConnell tears into Biden's 'profoundly unpresidential' voting rights speech
2 years, 11 months ago

Mitch McConnell tears into Biden's 'profoundly unpresidential' voting rights speech

Daily Mail  

Joe Biden tried to meet with Mitch McConnell at the Capitol on Wednesday after the Senate Republican leader slammed him for giving an 'incorrect, incoherent' speech on voting rights that was 'beneath his office.' President Joe Biden tried to meet with Mitch McConnell during a stop on Capitol Hill on Wednesday after McConnell slammed him in a speech on Senate …

Democrats plan a procedural maneuver to open Senate debate on voting rights bills
2 years, 11 months ago

Democrats plan a procedural maneuver to open Senate debate on voting rights bills

NPR  

Democrats plan a procedural maneuver to open Senate debate on voting rights bills Enlarge this image toggle caption Drew Angerer/Getty Images Drew Angerer/Getty Images Past attempts to advance voting rights legislation to the floor of the Senate have failed, but Senate Democrats believe they have found a way past a procedural hurdle to at least start debate on voting rights …

Senate plows ahead on voting rights push with no clear outcome
2 years, 11 months ago

Senate plows ahead on voting rights push with no clear outcome

LA Times  

The Senate on Wednesday was barreling toward a showdown on voting rights legislation and rules changes, even as Democratic leaders conceded they don’t yet have the 60 votes needed to pass a bill — or even the 50 votes needed to change the rules and circumvent a GOP filibuster. “I wouldn’t want to delude anybody into thinking this is easy, …

Biden Endorses Changing Senate Filibuster For Voting Rights
2 years, 11 months ago

Biden Endorses Changing Senate Filibuster For Voting Rights

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING President Joe Biden, in a speech Tuesday in Atlanta, directly challenged the “institution of the United States Senate” to support voting rights by backing two major pieces of legislation and the carving out of an exception to the Senate’s 60-vote requirement, going so far as to compare senators who opposed the legislation to the segregationists of the …

‘I will not yield,’ Biden says as voting rights battle heats up
2 years, 11 months ago

‘I will not yield,’ Biden says as voting rights battle heats up

Al Jazeera  

United States President Joe Biden has said he backs an effort to change Senate rules in order to pass voting rights legislation, declaring that the move would be aimed at protecting the “heart and soul” of the country’s democracy. “This is going to be another example of President Biden and his party overpromising and underdelivering.” And even if Democrats clear …

Biden is expected to back changing the filibuster to pass voting rights bills
2 years, 11 months ago

Biden is expected to back changing the filibuster to pass voting rights bills

NPR  

Biden is expected to back changing the filibuster to pass voting rights bills Enlarge this image toggle caption Greg Nash/Pool/Getty Images Greg Nash/Pool/Getty Images President Biden plans to renew his push for congressional action to protect voting rights in a speech in Georgia on Tuesday as the Democratic Party's proposed federal legislation has stalled and the president faces growing pressure …

News Analysis: ‘There is no Plan B’: Biden trading one challenge for another with voting rights push
3 years ago

News Analysis: ‘There is no Plan B’: Biden trading one challenge for another with voting rights push

LA Times  

President Biden speaks to reporters as he leaves the Capitol with Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday. “Of course, that’s not happening anywhere in America.” Voting rights advocates say Biden should have taken a more forceful approach far earlier. “It should have come earlier, but they’re pivoting and that’s important.” Arndrea Waters King, the wife of Martin Luther King III, …

Republican legislatures want to jam through more voting restrictions ahead of 2022 midterms
3 years ago

Republican legislatures want to jam through more voting restrictions ahead of 2022 midterms

Salon  

After Republican legislators in 19 states passed 34 laws restricting ballot access in 2021, largely fueled by Donald Trump's election lies, more than a half-dozen more states are gearing up to go even further ahead of this year's midterm elections. At least four states have already pre-filed seven bills that would "initiate or allow illegitimate partisan reviews" of election results, …

Biden pushed to speak out more as US democracy concerns grow
3 years ago

Biden pushed to speak out more as US democracy concerns grow

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has gotten the same troubling questions from worried world leaders, ones that he never thought he would hear. In his recent commencement address at South Carolina State University, Biden’s tone on the need for voting rights legislation took on added urgency. Never,” Biden said, adding, “This new sinister combination of voter suppression and election subversion, …

Senate Dems push new voting bill, and again hit GOP wall
3 years, 2 months ago

Senate Dems push new voting bill, and again hit GOP wall

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — If at first you don’t succeed, make Republicans vote again. GOP senators oppose the Democratic voting bills as a “power grab.” “This is a low, low point in the history of this body,” Schumer said after the failed vote, later adding, “The Senate is better than this.” The stalemate is forcing a reckoning among Senate Democrats about whether …

Voting rights bill dies in Senate, amping up pressure to end filibuster
3 years, 2 months ago

Voting rights bill dies in Senate, amping up pressure to end filibuster

LA Times  

Sen. Joe Manchin III co- Congressional Democrats’ hopes to expand voting rights died on Wednesday afternoon when Senate Republicans blocked voting on a bill that would have established election day as a public holiday and created minimum standards for nationwide voting access. Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Wednesday said the Senate is a place where lawmakers “debate, forge compromise, …

Democrats' biggest push for voting rights fails with no Republicans on board
3 years, 2 months ago

Democrats' biggest push for voting rights fails with no Republicans on board

NPR  

Democrats' biggest push for voting rights fails with no Republicans on board Enlarge this image toggle caption Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images Senate Democrats' most forceful and perhaps last push for major voting rights legislation this year was blocked by a Republican filibuster on Wednesday afternoon. Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, said that …

Voting Rights Activists Press Biden To Back Filibuster Changes For Major Election Bills
3 years, 2 months ago

Voting Rights Activists Press Biden To Back Filibuster Changes For Major Election Bills

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING WASHINGTON ― More than 100 voting rights activists marched to the White House on Tuesday to urge President Joe Biden to endorse changes to Senate filibuster rules that would allow Democrats to pass major legislation to protect and expand voting rights. “In an instance like that, the only thing that really breaks through is when the president …

Democrats Introduce John Lewis Voting Law To Restore The Voting Rights Act
3 years, 4 months ago

Democrats Introduce John Lewis Voting Law To Restore The Voting Rights Act

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING House Democrats introduced long-awaited updated legislation on Tuesday to reauthorize sections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that have been gutted in recent years by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority. In a report outlining the need for a new preclearance formula, the Committee on House Administration detailed six aspects of modern election laws that are discriminatory …

Democrat efforts to advance voting and election bill blocked by Senate Republicans
3 years, 4 months ago

Democrat efforts to advance voting and election bill blocked by Senate Republicans

CNN  

CNN — Senate Republicans blocked an attempt by Democrats to advance their signature voting and elections overhaul bill in the early hours of Wednesday morning. 〜We have reached a point in this chamber where Republicans appear to oppose any measure no matter how common sense to protect voting rights and strengthen our democracy,〝 Schumer said on the Senate floor. Despite …

John Roberts and the Supreme Court might block anything Democrats do on voting rights
3 years, 4 months ago

John Roberts and the Supreme Court might block anything Democrats do on voting rights

CNN  

CNN — A key piece of congressional Democrats’ voting rights push faces not only a near-impossible odds of becoming law, but also a daunting court battle in front of a conservative judiciary if it does. The legislation, known as the “John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act,” is now a focus of the House and is expected to be part of …

US Democrats promise new push for voting rights legislation
3 years, 4 months ago

US Democrats promise new push for voting rights legislation

Al Jazeera  

Leaders of House and Senate announce intent to advance voting bills in face of Republican opposition. Democrats in the United States Congress are renewing their push to enact major voting rights legislation this year despite Republican opposition. “We’re making great progress to come together with a very strong voting rights bill that every Democrat can support,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck …

Biden blasts ‘un-American’ voting limits; Texas Dems act
3 years, 5 months ago

Biden blasts ‘un-American’ voting limits; Texas Dems act

Associated Press  

PHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden declared preserving voting rights an urgent national “test of our time” on Tuesday but offered few concrete proposals to meet it. Biden called passage of congressional proposals to override new state voting restrictions and to restore parts of the Voting Rights Act that were curbed in recent years by the Supreme Court “a national imperative.” …

As frustration mounts, a White House push on voting rights
3 years, 6 months ago

As frustration mounts, a White House push on voting rights

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Facing a call to “save American democracy,” the Biden administration has unveiled new efforts to protect access to the ballot amid rising complaints from civil rights activists and other Democrats that the White House hasn’t done enough to counter Republican-led state legislatures attempting to narrow voting procedures. The president has told reporters he plans on “speaking extensively” on …

Amid growing frustration, White House pushes voting rights
3 years, 6 months ago

Amid growing frustration, White House pushes voting rights

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Facing a call to “save American democracy,” the Biden administration on Thursday unveiled new efforts to help protect voting rights amid growing complaints from civil rights activists and other Democrats that the White House has not done enough to fight attempts by Republican-led state legislatures to restrict access to the ballot. The president last week told reporters that …

Voting rights ruling increases pressure on Democrats to act
3 years, 6 months ago

Voting rights ruling increases pressure on Democrats to act

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats are facing renewed pressure to pass legislation that would protect voting rights after a Supreme Court ruling Thursday made it harder to challenge Republican efforts to limit ballot access in many states. A separate bill, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore sections of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court previously …

US Supreme Court rules in favour of voter restrictions
3 years, 6 months ago

US Supreme Court rules in favour of voter restrictions

Al Jazeera  

The ruling could make it easier for other states to impose rules on voting that are widely seen as disenfranchising Black, Latino and Indigenous voters. The 6-3 ruling on Thursday, with the court’s conservative justices in the majority, held that the restrictions on early ballot collection by third parties and where absentee ballots may be cast did not violate the …

GOP filibuster blocks Democrats’ big voting rights bill
3 years, 6 months ago

GOP filibuster blocks Democrats’ big voting rights bill

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Democrats’ sweeping attempt to rewrite U.S. election and voting law suffered a major setback in the Senate Tuesday, blocked by a filibuster wall of Republican opposition to what would be the largest overhaul of the electoral system in a generation. The vote leaves the Democrats with no clear path forward, though President Joe Biden declared, “This fight …

Senate Republicans block voting rights legislation
3 years, 6 months ago

Senate Republicans block voting rights legislation

The Hindu  

A procedural vote to begin debate on a voting rights bill backed by Democrats, failed to pass the U.S. Senate on Monday, after Senators voted 50-50 along party lines. The ‘For the People Act’, which sought to make access to voting easier across the country, in response to Republican-backed measures to tighten voting laws in several states, met with a …

Senate Republicans Block Democrats' Sweeping Voting Rights Legislation
3 years, 6 months ago

Senate Republicans Block Democrats' Sweeping Voting Rights Legislation

NPR  

Senate Republicans Block Democrats' Sweeping Voting Rights Legislation Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Wong/Getty Images Alex Wong/Getty Images Democrats' massive election overhaul bill aimed at protecting and expanding voting rights and reforming campaign finance laws has stalled in the Senate. "Republicans across the country are deliberately targeting all the ways that younger, poorer, nonwhite and typically Democratic voters access …

US Senate Republicans block Biden-backed voting reforms
3 years, 6 months ago

US Senate Republicans block Biden-backed voting reforms

Al Jazeera  

All 50 Republicans in the Senate stopped the effort by US Democrats to enact nationwide voting rights reforms. Republicans in the United States Senate blocked debate Tuesday on sweeping election reform legislation proposed by Democrats and backed by President Joe Biden setting the stage for a confrontation between the two top political parties over US election law. “State legislatures …

Senate Republicans Block Democrats' Sweeping Voting Rights Legislation
3 years, 6 months ago

Senate Republicans Block Democrats' Sweeping Voting Rights Legislation

NPR  

Senate Republicans Block Democrats' Sweeping Voting Rights Legislation Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Wong/Getty Images Alex Wong/Getty Images Democrats' massive election overhaul bill aimed at protecting and expanding voting rights and reforming campaign finance laws has stalled in the Senate. "Republicans across the country are deliberately targeting all the ways that younger, poorer, nonwhite and typically Democratic voters access …

US Democrats face crucial test on voting reform
3 years, 6 months ago

US Democrats face crucial test on voting reform

Al Jazeera  

As Republicans seek to impose stricter voting rules across the US, Democrats say voting rights are being infringed upon. Democrats in the United States Congress plan to push voting rights legislation to a crucial test vote in the Senate this week laying bare a clash with Republicans who are blocking reforms at the national level and enacting new voting restrictions …

‘A lot of anxiety’ for Democrats as Biden agenda stalls
3 years, 7 months ago

‘A lot of anxiety’ for Democrats as Biden agenda stalls

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Hopes for a big infrastructure investment are teetering. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned colleagues that June will “test our resolve.” Infrastructure talks are dragging, though Biden is expected to talk again Tuesday with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, the lead Republican negotiator. The long-running Senate filibuster rules require 60 votes to advance most legislation, meaning as many as …

Manchin blasts Democrats' voting rights bill, says pursuit of bipartisanship "not naive"
3 years, 7 months ago

Manchin blasts Democrats' voting rights bill, says pursuit of bipartisanship "not naive"

Salon  

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, handed a double blow to progressives Sunday morning, destroying any hopes that the strident moderate might come around on filibuster reform that would allow the chamber a chance to pass the ambitious legislative agenda favored by President Joe Biden. Manchin denied that his continued support for the filibuster was "naive" during an appearance on Fox News …

Key Democratic senator says he will oppose US voting rights bill
3 years, 7 months ago

Key Democratic senator says he will oppose US voting rights bill

Al Jazeera  

Joe Manchin, key swing vote in US Senate, to oppose bill that would expand voting access and is backed by Democrats. West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, a crucial swing vote in the United States Senate, announced on Sunday he intends to oppose a sweeping voting rights bill backed by the majority of his fellow Democrats that would expand access …

Biden Taps Kamala Harris To Lead Push On Voting Rights
3 years, 7 months ago

Biden Taps Kamala Harris To Lead Push On Voting Rights

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING President Joe Biden on Tuesday placed Vice President Kamala Harris in charge of his administration’s efforts to pass voting rights legislation and promised to battle an “unprecedented assault on our democracy” from Republican-controlled state legislatures. “I’m going to fight like heck with every tool at my disposal.” Biden’s comments ― and his decision to hand Harris the …

Joe Manchin Says Voting Rights Bill Can Be Bipartisan. Republicans Aren't Interested.
3 years, 8 months ago

Joe Manchin Says Voting Rights Bill Can Be Bipartisan. Republicans Aren't Interested.

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Sen. Joe Manchin has claimed that enough Republicans will support expanding voting rights that Democrats shouldn’t change Senate rules in order to pass the voting rights bill that has been their priority since winning full control of Congress. “There is also bipartisan support for voting reform and many of the initiatives outlined in the For the People …

Biden signs order to promote US voting rights, access
3 years, 10 months ago

Biden signs order to promote US voting rights, access

Al Jazeera  

Executive order comes as Republicans are pushing to tighten voting restrictions following 2020 presidential defeat. Biden’s order comes on the 56th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” when state troopers and police attacked civil rights marchers in 1965 in Selma, Alabama, who were protesting against racial discrimination at the voting booth. New restrictions Republicans in several US states are pursuing new voting …

House passes sweeping voting rights bill over GOP opposition
3 years, 10 months ago

House passes sweeping voting rights bill over GOP opposition

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — House Democrats passed sweeping voting and ethics legislation over unanimous Republican opposition, advancing to the Senate what would be the largest overhaul of the U.S. election law in at least a generation. This bill “will put a stop at the voter suppression that we’re seeing debated right now,” said Rep. Nikema Williams, a new congresswoman who represents the …

Obama: Senate Should Eliminate Filibuster To Protect Voting Rights
4 years, 5 months ago

Obama: Senate Should Eliminate Filibuster To Protect Voting Rights

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Barack Obama delivered a forceful criticism of the way the Senate conducts business on Thursday, calling the filibuster a “Jim Crow relic” and telling the chamber to get rid of the 60-vote requirement needed to pass major legislation. The former president made his appeal for Democrats in Congress to do everything in their power to protect voting …

'We cannot stand idly by': Senators demand Mitch McConnell call vote on John Lewis voting rights bill
4 years, 5 months ago

'We cannot stand idly by': Senators demand Mitch McConnell call vote on John Lewis voting rights bill

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The US House of Representatives has agreed to rename a …

Despite Mueller's warning, McConnell blocks bipartisan election security bills
5 years, 7 months ago

Despite Mueller's warning, McConnell blocks bipartisan election security bills

Salon  

Special counsel Robert Mueller warned of ongoing election interference efforts during his press appearance on Wednesday, just days after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to block two more election security bills approved by his Republican colleagues. “I think the majority leader is of the view that this debate reaches no conclusion,” Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a member of McConnell’s …

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