The Senate will take up a major voting reform measure on Wednesday that Republicans are poised to filibuster.
The Freedom to Vote Act was authored by Democrats to counter new red-state laws aimed at bolstering voter integrity and reducing fraud.
The legislation represents a deal among Democrats, led by centrist Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who opposed a broader voter and campaign reform bill authored by Democrats.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the vote during a speech on the Senate floor.
“The dangerous and draconian Republican laws we’ve seen in 2021 are only the beginning if this body doesn’t take action,” Schumer said. “And they are a serious, very serious threat to our democracy, one of the greatest threats to democracy that’s come around in a long time.”
But the measure is set to stall.
It would require 60 votes to advance, and Democrats control only 50 votes.
While Manchin’s support shows the bill could pass if Democrats vote to eliminate the filibuster, Manchin and other Democrats are not willing to get rid of the 60-vote threshold.
Republicans are expected to vote overwhelmingly against the bill, which is named after the late civil rights icon and House lawmaker John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat. One Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, plans to vote to advance the legislation.
Democrats have been eager to pass a federal voting reform measure in the wake of changes made in many red states aimed at bolstering voter integrity.
The legislation would soften voter ID requirements, make Election Day a national holiday, and would also take steps to federalize the election process.
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Georgia, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Wyoming, Montana, Iowa, and Kansas are among states that have instituted changes to voting laws affecting polling hours, drop boxes, voter identification, and allowances for third parties to collect and drop off ballots.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, in his statement opposing the Manchin compromise bill, called the new plan “fake solutions in search of a problem,” adding, “We will not be letting Washington Democrats abuse their razor-thin majorities in both chambers to overrule state and local governments and appoint themselves a national Board of Elections on steroids.”
