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House Democrats on Tuesday passed a voting rights bill named after the late civil rights leader, Representative John Lewis.
HR 4, known as the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, pass by a margin of 219-212 with all Republicans voting no and all Democrats present voting yes.
Democratic lawmakers quickly took to Twitter to celebrate the passage of the bill.
The Lewis Bill describes a new, expanded formula the Justice Department can use to identify discriminatory voting patterns in states and local jurisdictions. These entities should then obtain DOJ approval before making any further changes to the elections. The bill also includes a provision designed to counter the summer Supreme Court ruling that made it harder to challenge potentially discriminatory vote changes.
A Democrat-pushed companion bill, known as the People’s Law, has stalled in the Senate amid Republican opposition and disagreement among Democrats over whether to change the rules of procedure in the Senate. within the Senate also divided to pass it.
Democrats have argued that both bills are necessary to ensure access to the ballot. They point out that the updated voting rights law would not apply to the many voting changes already made by states. The For the People Act, on the other hand, would create minimum voting standards in the United States, such as automatic and same-day voter registration, early voting, and postal voting without excuse. The bill would also amend various campaign finance and ethics laws.
Senate Democrats have pledged to pass the larger bill when they return next month as the top order of the day, though it’s not clear how they can maneuver around GOP opposition.
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Republicans have signaled that they will try to stop the John Lewis Act just like they have the For the People Act. “This bill is a federal takeover and a gift to partisan and frivolous litigants who will use it to manipulate state laws and plunge all federal elections into chaos, further undermining voter confidence in fair elections and specific, ”said Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project Action, a conservative advocacy group.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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