As the Senate prepares to vote on the For the People Act, former President Barack Obama cites the January 6 insurrection to advocate for the bill. Currently, Republicans have been transparent regarding their intention to not even debate but just filibuster the voting rights bill. While in a conference call for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, the former president stated the anticipated filibuster “is not acceptable” especially in the aftermath of the insurrection.
Bill H.R.1 (For the People Act) makes election day a federal holiday, prohibits states from restricting mail-in ballots, and promotes automatic voter registration, internet registration & early voting. As it stands, it is unlikely that the bill will pass today’s Senate vote as Democrats would need 10 Republicans to break the filibuster.
The For the People Act comes as a response to Republicans pushing a multitude of restrictive voting laws at the state level. Democrats believe they can repel these passed and signed restrictive laws with the For the People Act. All eyes are on the Senate vote as the battle between Democrats and Republicans regarding voting laws continue.
Sources
https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/21/politics/obama-voting-rights-january-6-insurrection/index.html
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/21/barack-obama-joe-manchin-voting-rights-proposal
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/559462-obama-voting-rights-bill-must-pass-before-next-election
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