Senator Schumer: "If Republicans are unwilling to move forward, Democrats will have to move on our own."
New York Times editorial: "Bipartisanship can be a means to an end. But when voting rights are being ratcheted backward by one party, bipartisanship can’t be an excuse for inaction."
Washington Post editorial: "If, as expected, Republicans unite against it, Democrats must stop negotiating with themselves on an issue as fundamental as voting. They should reform the Senate filibuster rule, which has shifted from an extraordinary procedure to a routine blocking maneuver, and try again."
Fix Our Senate: “There is absolutely no doubt that this vote will end in the third Republican filibuster of voting rights legislation – but what happens after the vote will determine the fate of our democracy for years to come.”
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Fix Our Senate released the following statement from spokesperson Eli Zupnick on the announcement by Majority Leader Schumer that the U.S. Senate will be holding a vote next week on the Freedom to Vote Act, legislation that would protect voting rights, ban partisan gerrymandering, and take additional steps to safeguard our democracy. The legislation, drafted in close partnership with Sen. Manchin, has the support of a majority of the Senate but is expected to be blocked by a partisan filibuster.
“This vote sets up a moment of truth and key decision for Senate Democrats; Will they allow a minority of Republicans to continue abusing the filibuster to block voting rights and democracy-protecting legislation, or will they finally tackle this outdated and abused ‘Jim Crow relic’?
“Senator Manchin and other Democrats have been reaching across the aisle in good faith in the hopes that Republicans will join them to protect our democracy. But it is now crystal-clear that there aren’t ten Republicans willing to stand up to Sen. McConnell and break a filibuster.
“There is absolutely no doubt that this vote will end in the third Republican filibuster of voting rights legislation – but what happens after the vote will determine the fate of our democracy for years to come. People across the country will be looking to President Biden and Senate Democrats to make the difficult but desperately-needed decision to address the broken filibuster and finally fix our Senate.”