Once Again, A Majority of Senators Vote to Save Democracy
Dispatches on the For The People Act (Edition #32)
Welcome back! This was a big, big week. As I’ll discuss below, yesterday the Senate voted on a motion to proceed to debate on the Freedom to Vote Act. Unsurprisingly, Republicans filibustered the motion, thereby preventing debate from taking place. What does this mean and what comes next? Keep reading and you’ll find out.
Before going any further, there have been some additional questions about the differences between the For The People Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. As I explained last week, the Freedom to Vote Act maintains the same overarching goals (and most of the same policies) as the For The People Act. But, for those looking for even more details, the Brennan Center just published an extensive fact sheet on the two bills, which I highly suggest checking out here.
The Vote:
On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Schumer called a vote to proceed to debate on the Freedom to Vote Act. This is the second time that Senate Democrats have attempted to debate democracy legislation. (In June, Schumer brought a motion to proceed to debate on the For The People Act.) Unfortunately, Republicans again filibustered.
Let that sink in. For the second time, Republicans blocked the Senate from even debating a broadly popular bill to ensure the freedom to vote, reduce the role of big money in politics, and limit congressional gerrymandering. They could do this because Senate rules still require 60 Senators (a super majority!) to agree to begin debate.
You might be thinking: Well that is depressing and this situation is hopeless. Let me stop you there and provide three reasons why this vote was a major step forward in our fight, despite the filibuster.
First, all fifty Democrats voted in favor of proceeding to debate on the Freedom to Vote Act. This may sound like a purely symbolic victory, but let me be clear: maintaining party unity on a bill this massive is a real achievement and sets us up for the fight ahead. (But Kevin, you might say, the final vote was actually 51-49 against the bill, not 50-50. While technically true, Majority Leader Schumer switched his vote at the last minute to the opposition to make it easier for him to bring the bill back to the Senate floor in the future. The Senate is weird.)
Second, the Freedom to Vote Act was a product of negotiations between Senate Democrats and Senator Joe Manchin (the only Democratic Senator who opposed the original For The People Act). Manchin has long expressed his reticence about passing election reform on a straight-party vote. He reportedly believed that this new bill could win bipartisan support. Despite Manchin’s best efforts, however, no Republican votes materialized — even just for moving to debate the bill! The walls are now finally closing in on senators who believe that Republicans will act in good faith to protect our democracy.
Which brings me to the third reason to keep fighting: Party insiders can no longer deny that the filibuster is standing in the way of protecting our democracy. There are no further votes to be held on the Freedom to Vote Act, no more hemming and hawing about the importance of bipartisanship in the Senate. It’s either the filibuster or democracy. And the Senate must pick one.
Fortunately, as I’ve reported to you before, nearly all Senate Democrats are at least open to some sort of filibuster reform, with a significant number supporting elimination. However, it takes all 50 Senate Democrats (and VP Harris) acting in a unified way to fix the broken filibuster. A lot more pressure will be needed to force Senate Democrats, and especially Senator Manchin and Sinema — the two most prominent holdouts — to reform the outdated and obstructionist filibuster. But don’t be fooled. It’s still very much possible.
Interestingly, Majority Leader Schumer announced that he will start the vote to debate the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act as early as next week. Similar to the Freedom to Vote Act, we expect that the VRAA will be filibustered by Senate Republicans. This will only increase the pressure to reform the filibuster.
As always, we will keep you updated on the trajectory of federal voting rights legislation as it moves through Congress. Subscribe to this Substack to stay informed on the twists and turns of this journey.
What Senators Are Saying:
Check out Senate Majority Leader Schumer speaking after the vote:
Another notable quote from Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who helped negotiate the intraparty compromise on the Freedom to Vote Act: “‘There are two possible next steps: one is negotiations, for the Republicans to say OK, here's what we'll go along with, here's what we need, here's what we want... The other is to modify the rules in such a way that we can pass the bill.’” (Politico)
The Grassroots Continues to Build Pressure
On Tuesday, dozens of prominent activists were arrested outside the White House in hopes of pressuring President Biden to lead on the Freedom to Vote Act (and voting rights legislation more generally). Check out a live stream of the event here. And here is a highlight reel from the event:
Upcoming Event:
Currently, we are in the middle of a Relay from West Virginia to Washington D.C. to pressure Senators to pass the Freedom to Vote Act. The relay will culminate in a rally at the Capitol on October 23rd. You can learn more about the Relay here and sign up for the D.C. rally here.
There are more events on the Declaration for American Democracy website here. Please make sure to find an event near you. Also, don’t forget to check out our additional ways you can help below.
In the News:
Charles Blow of The New York Times argues that the Freedom to Vote Act should be the Democrats only priority until it is passed. While the infrastructure and reconciliation bills are critical, our democracy should come first, Blow writes. Put succinctly: “Even if you have glistening infrastructure in a fascist state, you are still in a fascist state.”
“Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, said the administration’s lack of urgency about safeguarding democracy, especially by shoring up voting rights, is “appalling . . . I have heard from many of my colleagues and members that the lack of priority around voting rights will be the undoing of the legacy for this presidency.’”
The Washington Post’s Amber Phillips explores the question: Are there any voting rights reforms that Republicans might support? Phillips methodically shows that it is unlikely that Republicans will back any of the reforms that Democrats are pushing (despite their widespread bipartisan appeal).
The HuffPost’s Paul Blumenthal breaks down the fight for the Freedom to Vote Act. He reports that within the next couple weeks Democrats will have to decide if they are willing to fix the filibuster to protect the freedom to vote.
Don’t forget to keep your friends, family, and colleagues in the loop by sharing this Substack with them.
Social Media Roundup:
Let’s be frank: there are A LOT of tweets, posts, and general conversation about the Freedom to Vote Act. In this section, we give you an overview of the tweets and media you really need to see.
More Ways to Help!
We are entering possibly one of the most critical moments for American democracy since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We need all the help we can get to push the Freedom to Vote Act over the finish line! Here are more ways to join the fight to protect American democracy:
Call your senators and tell them that you support reforming the filibuster for voting rights legislation. You can find your senators’ phone numbers, as well as where they stand on the filibuster, using our handy filibuster tracker!
Common Cause, RepresentUs, and End Citizens United are organizing regular phone banks in support of the Freedom to Vote Act. This is a great opportunity to spread the word and help constituents contact their Senators in support of the bill. Check them out here, here, and here.
You can also text DEMOCRACY to 33339 to receive a daily text message reminder to call your senators in support of voting rights legislation.
The League of Women Voters can also help you contact the White House here.
Write a letter to the editor in your local paper sharing your support of the Freedom to Vote Act and urging your Senators to pass it. Not sure how to write a letter to the editor? Reach out to us at info@equalcitizens.us and we can help!
Share our newsletter, our podcast, the articles included above, and the resources on the bill below on social media and tell your friends why you support #FreedomtoVote
Extra, Extra:
If, after reading our newsletter, you still want to know more about the Freedom to Vote Act or Equal Citizens you can find more information here! If you have questions about the bill you want us to answer in our Substack, tweet at us with #HR1Substack! Also, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more updates throughout the week.
Relevant Resources:
Here are a few resources on the “Freedom to Vote Act” if you have questions:
Equal Citizens launched a filibuster tracker, so you can see where your senator stands on the filibuster. It also includes their phone numbers and their Twitter handles, so you can get in touch with them directly and push them to support filibuster reform!
The Brennan Center for Justice created a wonderful guide to the Freedom to Vote Act. Check it out here. They also created an in-depth report about racism and disenfranchisement due to incarceration.
The Brennan Center also published a report on why H.R. 1 brings us closer to an inclusive democracy, while the Freedom to Vote Act is not the same, this report is still relevant in a number of ways. Check it out here.
There is a lot of misinformation about the Freedom to Vote Act, and the amount of misinformation so please reach out to us if you hear anything that doesn’t sound right and we will give you the correct information.
More About Me:
Kevin Rissmiller is a fellow at Equal Citizens and a Goodwin-Niering Scholar at Connecticut College majoring in Government and exploring sociology, economics, and applied statistics. In his free time, you will find him at Dunkins or (pre-pandemic) playing ultimate frisbee. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
If you want more updates on federal voting rights legislation from Kevin, then subscribe here!