Today, after Senator Patrick Leahy introduced a modified version of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore some of the protections from the Voting Rights Act that were struck down in Shelby v. Holder, Fix Our Senate spokesman Eli Zupnick released the following statement on the need to eliminate the filibuster to get strong democracy-protecting legislation signed into law.
“This is not a drill: If Senate Democrats don’t move quickly to pass comprehensive voting rights legislation then countless Americans will lose access to the ballot box. Senator Mitch McConnell has promised to filibuster any voting rights or democracy-protecting legislation, so the only way for Senate Democrats to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act is to finally address the filibuster that stands in the way. Senate Democrats have a clear and easy choice: protect voters by passing strong voting rights legislation, or protect a ‘Jim Crow relic’ that Sen. McConnell is abusing as a tool of partisan obstruction.”