Senate Democrats introduce bill to strengthen voting rights law

Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled new legislation to strengthen the voting rights law.

His. Patrick leahyPatrick Joseph Leahy92 Lawyers Call On Harris To Chair Senate To Include Immigration In Reconciliation Senate Rejects GOP Amendment To Block Biden Vaccine Mandate Photos Of The Week: Renewable Energy, Gymnast Testimonials And A Met Gala Dress MORE (D-Vt.) Introduced the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act along with 48 other senators.

In a speech, Leahy said the legislation was “the culmination of months of tireless work in the halls of Congress – exactly what Congressman Lewis would have liked to see.”

“Today tens of thousands of Americans are denied their right to vote, under the guise of state law,” Leahy said. “Make no mistake: this tidal wave of voter suppression efforts seeks to roll back the arc of equal justice and equal rights. It just can’t hold up.

The legislation would update the Voting Rights Act to strengthen sections that were gutted by the 2013 Supreme Court ruling Shelby County v. Holder and 2021 Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee.

The Shelby County decision gutted Section 5 of the law, which allowed the Department of Justice to filter voting changes in states with a history of racial discrimination.

Brnovich’s move, which was decided earlier this year, confirmed a pair of voting restrictions in Arizona that Democrats said threatened to suppress the vote for racial minorities. Lawyers decried the ruling as a weakening of Section 2 of the VRA, which prohibited racially targeted voting policies.

Democrats tried to pass voting rights legislation this year amid the Brnovich decision and other efforts in GOP-led states that would make voting more difficult.

Last month the senator Amy KlobucharAmy Klobuchar: Four Big Takeaways From A Challenging Audition For Facebook Facebook Is Criticized When A Whistleblower Hearing Facebook To Take Center Stage At A Whistleblower Hearing MORE (D-Minn.) Introduced a bill that would introduce a wave of voting rights reforms, including easing voter registration and setting a minimum window for early voting.

But any Senate legislation would need 60 votes to overcome a Senate obstruction, which Democrats currently do not have in an equally divided Senate.