Eli Zupnick of Fix Our Senate: “We thank Senator Carper and his Senate colleagues for their voice and leadership in recognizing that Americans’ rights and the health of our democracy should take precedence over an abused and outdated filibuster rule.”
WASHINGTON, DC — Following Republicans’ filibuster of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act yesterday — the fourth filibuster this year of federal voting rights legislation — Senate Democrats are making the case for filibuster reform. Notably, moderate Democrats and former skeptics of reform are among the most vocal and animated voices now calling to address the filibuster to pass voting rights and democracy bills.
In a new op-ed in the Wilmington News Journal, No barrier — not even the filibuster — must stop our obligation to our democracy, Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) notes:
“...despite unanimous and bipartisan support in the Senate, the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in 2013. [...] Right now, in state houses across the country, state legislators are enacting a wave of voting restrictions with the sole purpose of making it harder to vote. [...] This is wrong. In response, Congress must act with the same urgency as it did in 1965.
"I’m an optimist by nature, so I want to hold out hope that a compromise can be reached. But I cannot look the other way if total obstruction continues. I do not come to this decision lightly, but it has become clear to me that if the filibuster is standing in the way of protecting our democracy then the filibuster isn’t working for our democracy.
"No barrier — not even the filibuster — should stand in the way of our sacred obligation to protect our democracy.”
Other Senate leaders have also expressed openness to filibuster reform in recent weeks, including:
According to Eli Zupnick, spokesperson for Fix Our Senate, “Senator Carper is the latest moderate Senator whose evolution on the filibuster reflects the stakes for our democracy. Filibuster reform is not just a progressive issue:There is nothing moderate about allowing a tiny minority of Senators to block the will of the majority and impede Americans’ voting rights, or witnessing the threats to our democracy and choosing to keep the filibuster intact.
"We thank Senator Carper and his Senate colleagues for their voice and leadership in recognizing that Americans’ rights and the health of our democracy should take precedence over an abused and outdated filibuster rule.”