Mississippi Votes Statement on Cloture Vote of John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in U.S. Senate

JACKSON, Miss. – Today, the United States Senate failed to reach the supermajority threshold needed to overcome the filibuster and open debate regarding the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a critical piece of federal voting rights legislation.

In response, Arekia Bennett, Executive Director of Mississippi Votes, issued the following statement:

“It is disappointing, but sadly not surprising that the United States Senate has once again failed the voters of Mississippi by refusing to move forward debate on critically needed voting rights legislation. Today’s vote marks the fourth filibuster of such a measure in a year where an unprecedented number of voter suppression laws have been proposed and enacted by state legislatures across the country. In 2021, 19 states have enacted 33 laws that will make it harder for Americans to vote.

“The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would respond to discriminatory voting rules enacted in Mississippi since the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County that gutted key protections in the Voting Rights Act, and restore federal oversight to prevent further laws and practices from being implemented in the future.

“This vote makes it clear that the filibuster is not a workable Senate rule. And no Senate rule should be prioritized over the constitutional rights of American citizens to vote. A proposal that has gained significant traction recently is a voting rights ‘carve out’ from the filibuster rules, or other rules that require a supermajority vote in the Senate. I cannot imagine any other issue being more in seed of such a proposal than voting rights. The time is now for Congress to act. It is imperative that the filibuster not stand in the way of protecting the right to vote for not only Mississippians, but all Americans.”

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PRESS CONTACT: Seth Nieman | 601-341-6234 | seth@msvotes.org