Joe Manchin wants to pass bipartisan John Lewis voting bill, but McConnell still a ‘no’
In what many believe to be a decisive blow to Democrats’ efforts to pass voting rights legislation this summer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has voiced his opposition to a bipartisan compromise offered by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Rather than attempt to pass the ambitious For the People Act, Manchin and Murkowksi have suggested the two parties come together to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which would restore a portion of the original Voting Rights Act that
Texas Republicans’ voting bill led to a dramatic walkout. What we know about the fight over elections
Defiant Texas House Democrats staged a walkout of the state capitol, delaying a vote on Senate Bill 7, which they believe will hurt the rights of Texas voters. The maneuver is known as “breaking quorum,” which Democratic Rep. Eddie Rodriguez says is a “procedural tool we don’t often use in the House.” In response, Republican Governor Greg Abbott publicly threatened to veto the section of the budget which provides for lawmakers’ paychecks. The vote for Senate Bill 7 is likely to be taken up
Biden Says He Will Ramp Up Push To Expand Voting Rights, And Puts Harris In Charge
During his speech to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, President Joe Biden announced that he has selected Vice President Kamala Harris to lead White House efforts to defend voting rights. According to the President, the voting rights of Americans are under an “unprecedented assault” by Republican state legislatures. The White House Press Secretary says that Vice President Harris, herself, asked President Biden for the assignment.Visit NPR to learn more.Image Credit: Joe Biden photo by Adam Schultz / Biden for President
Supreme Court ruling in Arizona case will be another front in the voting rights wars
The Supreme Court will soon hear a case to decide whether two Arizona voting regulations violate the Voting Rights Act. This will be the first time that the Supreme Court has weighed in on the scope of the Voting Rights Act since 2013, when it struck a section of the landmark voting rights bill in a case known as Shelby County v. Holder. Voting rights advocates are worried that the Supreme Court will once again reduce the scope of the Voting Rights Act’s powers.Visit CNN
Corporations Are Still Funding the GOP Campaign to Roll Back Voting Rights
Jacobin reports that major corporations, including ones who publicly promised to defend voting rights, have nonetheless continued their financial contributions to two major Republican groups who have been actively involved in efforts to restrict voting access as well as to reverse the 2020 election. These groups are the Republican Attorney General’s Association and the Republican State Leadership Committee. While many corporations announced they would no longer contribute to PACs for lawmakers who tried to overturn President Biden’s victory, they nonetheless donated to these organizations,