Voting Rights

The reason Neil Gorsuch is sitting on the Supreme Court right now is because Senate Republicans carved out Supreme Court nominations from the filibuster rule, says Stephen Spaulding, senior counsel for public policy and government affairs at Common Cause, an advocacy organization focused on promoting democracy. Democrats did the same for President Barack Obama’s nominees were appointed to the D.C. circuit, he says. “It’s not unprecedented at all. It’s now a choice to keep the filibuster in place rather than pass legislation that would project the freedom to vote,” Spaulding says.

Senate Republicans used a loophole in the Senate’s rules—the filibuster —to block even holding a debate on the Freedom to Vote Act. It’s the third time they’ve stopped their colleagues from debating voting rights legislation this year. Senators now face a choice: protect the freedom to vote and find a way to send this bill to President Biden’s desk, or let it die due to Republican obstruction and abuse of internal Senate rules.

The appointment brought immediate criticism from Democrats and voting groups. “The timing of this announcement is clearly intended to subvert our democratic process in a way that allows Greg Abbott’s completely unsuitable nominee to oversee our 2022 elections without having to face confirmation hearings,” said Stephanie Gómez, the Texas associate director for Common Cause.

Americans overwhelmingly support the Freedom to Vote Act. Senators must chart a path forward to President Biden’s desk in the wake of today’s filibuster. Today’s vote is the third time in recent months that all 50 Senate Democrats have voted to advance major voting rights legislation only to be met with Republican opposition. The Senate loophole long used to stymie civil rights legislation must not be abused again to defend the new Jim Crow laws being passed across the country to make it harder to vote today - particularly in Black and Brown communities.

Seventeen days. That’s all the time and consideration the General Assembly gave to this year’s redistricting process. Not only was this year’s rushed process highly partisan, it was done almost entirely behind closed doors with little input from the voters. Hoosiers deserve better. When it comes to process, transparency, and public participation, this year’s redistricting process made clear that it’s time to give serious consideration to a citizens redistricting commission in 2022.

More than 1,500 small businesses across the country are demanding the immediate passage of the priorities in the Freedom to Vote Act, to ensure a government that reflects voters’ vision to increase local investment, create good jobs, and foster equitable economies. The ranks of small business getting behind the legislation have continued to grow in recent weeks as a series of votes on the legislation are anticipated in the coming weeks. Business Forward and Common Cause have worked with these businesses to advocate in support of the bill — and 1,500 small business leaders have written letters to the editor, met with senators, and signed on to letters in support of protecting the freedom of every American to cast a ballot and curbing the outsized influence of deep-pocketed special interests in Washington (see the letters below). Efforts to enlist more small business in support of the legislation are expected to continue in the weeks ahead.