#31: The Senate Can Now Debate Voting Rights. Learn Why & How.
The filibuster can't stop the debate this time.
Pressure Your Senators! Again, and again and again! Even the Dems!
Arcane rules, illogical processes. These are some of the most frustrating things about our Congress.
But today, loopholes & dumb rules are allowing us to stop the GOP from blocking debate on Voting Rights.
Democracy Docket’s Marc Elias, voting rights guru, explains the process here. I joined his Twitter Live discussion last night, and simply put, the process is this:
Bills go back and forth from the House & the Senate as they negotiate the contents.
If a bill has been passed back and forth 3 times, debate on it cannot be filibustered.
Democrats found an existing bill re: Nasa legislation that has crossed the 3-review threshold
They "updated" the bill to include all of the text from the John Lewis Voting Rights Act & The Freedom to Vote Act
They passed it in the House, and sent it to the Senate for debate. Filibuster-proof.
This is great news because the filibuster requires a super-majority to overcome, the minority party has been blocking EVEN DISCUSSION of voting rights. Sounds really democratic, doesn't it?
True, this workaround can't stop them from filibustering the actual vote, but it will force debate. Debate will:
Require Senators to stand and say why they oppose common sense voting reforms
The 13 Senators that have voted to protect voting rights in the past will have public accountability for not doing so now.
Public pressure will hopefully increase on Senators who block voting rights legislation.
Hopefully force Manchin & Sinema to face some accountability for their obstruction.
A vote is supposed to occur by or before MLK day next week. Question is - will there be enough Senators to support the legislation, or break the filibuster for a vote?
P.S. About Sinema today… Election expert David Pepper…
