WASHINGTON, D.C.) November 2, 2021 – Yesterday evening, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) filed cloture (a procedure for ending a debate and taking a vote) on the motion to proceed to the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Today, Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) joined a substitute amendment as co-sponsors. Senator Murkowski told NBC News that she would vote yes on cloture for the bill. That vote is expected today, Wednesday, Nov. 3rd.
Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, stated, “There are now two strong and urgently needed voting rights bills before the Senate: the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. Both have majority support. Both are essential to safeguard voting rights and the integrity of our democracy. And they both face obstruction. It is time to bring them to a vote.”
Waldman also said, “Senator Manchin has accomplished what he set out to do to ensure two strong bills that merit bipartisan support. He was an architect of the Freedom to Vote Act. He and his colleague across the aisle joined in supporting the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Now he and the rest of the Senate must move these bills to the president’s desk. Together, they’re the best way to keep our elections fair and secure.”
Leaders of the nation’s top historic civil rights organizations released the following joint readout on their meeting today with Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia:
“Citing the deteriorating crisis of democracy that continues to overtake the country, national civil rights leaders implored Sen. Manchin to commit to the protection of voting rights using every means at the Senate’s disposal, including overriding the filibuster.
“Since the leaders last met with Sen. Manchin in June, some states have continued to enact discriminatory restrictions on voting and have begun approving racially-gerrymandered political maps. Conscientious election officials are being driven from office and replaced with partisan extremists intent on subverting the voters’ will.
“This not only hurts democracy overall, but the communities we represent, who have been historically disenfranchised throughout our nation’s history. We have fought too hard for our voting rights to see them eroded.
“Every Senator must grasp the urgency of this critical moment in history and take immediate action to protect voting rights.
“The leaders noted that, despite Sen. Manchin’s efforts to assemble a bipartisan coalition to pass voting rights legislation, not a single Republican Senator has been willing to cooperate in the defense of democracy. It’s time to dispense with the filibuster.
“Over the last half-century, the Senate has carved out 161 exemptions from the filibuster, many of which are in common use, on matters involving trade, foreign policy, defense, budget reconciliation, judicial confirmations, and health care.
“The leaders impressed upon Sen. Manchin that nothing is more crucial to a functioning democracy than the right to vote, the most enshrined right in the Constitution. Conversely, the filibuster, primarily used in the 20th Century to block civil rights legislation, never was part of Framers’ vision for the Senate and is not enshrined in any law.”
Civil rights leaders in attendance included:
- National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial
- NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson
- The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Interim President and CEO Wade Henderson
- National Action Network, (NAN) President & Founder Reverend Al Sharpton
- Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law President and Executive Director Damon Hewitt
- National Coalition on Black Civic Participation/Black Women’s Roundtable President and CEO Melanie Campbell
- National Council of Negro Women Executive Director Janice Mathis
- NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) President and Director-Counsel Sherrilyn Ifill
ETE Editor’s Note: Knoxville has many challenges to overcome for all citizens to be treated fairly or reach a level of equality. We have a well-established Knoxville Area Urban League chapter promoting local and National goals.