A new, six figure digital ad campaign launched by Fix Our Senate today highlights the stark choice facing Democratic Senators now: protect voting rights and democracy, or protect the ‘Jim Crow’ filibuster.
As Congress returns to Washington, advocates on a wide range of issues are urging Senate Majority Leader Schumer to abolish the filibuster to pass the For the People Act that would bolster and expand voting rights, end partisan gerrymandering, and get corporate money out of politics.
Today, nearly 150 groups representing millions of advocates across the country sent Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer a letter calling on him to eliminate the filibuster and pass the For the People Act.
Today, Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania tweeted support for reforming or ending the filibuster to pass critical voting rights.
A poll commissioned by Fix Our Senate and conducted by Global Strategy Group found that 43% of registered voters in West Virginia see the filibuster as a way to create more gridlock.
Unless Democrats take steps to reform or eliminate the filibuster, McConnell can use this obstructionist weapon to block the For the People Act
President Biden’s legislative ambitions face a crucial test in the narrowly divided Congress this month, with key Democratic senators signaling they want to pump the brakes.
Once obscure, the Senate filibuster is coming under fresh scrutiny not only because of the enormous power it gives a single senator to halt President Joe Biden’s agenda, but as a tool historically used for racism.
Gun control groups are joining the progressive fight to end the filibuster as the Senate voting rule threatens their goal of passing comprehensive gun reform.
"Historian of the 20th century South here. I dispute Mitch's statement. The filibuster has a ton of 'racial history.'"
This brief will explore the racist history of the filibuster, how it came to be used as it is today, and outline this history specifically through the lens of gun violence prevention, cataloging legislation that has been impeded by the use of the filibuster, obstructing progress toward safer communities and fewer needless tragedies.
The filibuster is a procedural tool of the Senate that delays or prevents a piece of legislation from being brought to a vote. It is a vestige of a deal made to appeal to segregationists and has historically been used to block passage of civil rights legislation.
