[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 157 (Monday, September 13, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6440-S6441]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             VOTING RIGHTS

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, now on one final issue, on voting. 
Before the Senate concluded the previous work period, Republicans 
blocked multiple efforts to even debate voting rights legislation in 
the U.S. Senate.
  Let me be clear: Republicans refusing to support anything on voting 
rights is not an excuse for Democrats to do nothing.
  Over the recess, a number of my colleagues and I, including Senators 
Klobuchar, Merkley, Warnock, Manchin, Padilla, Kaine, King, and Tester, 
worked diligently to craft a revised voting rights piece of 
legislation.
  This compromise proposal would protect the freedom to vote, end 
partisan gerrymandering, stop the scourge of dark money in our 
politics, among many other good things.
  I applaud my colleagues for their hard work and their progress to 
come together with a very strong voting rights bill that all Democrats 
can support, while respecting the role of States and promoting greater 
confidence in our democracy.
  Now Senator Manchin has been having discussions with our Republican

[[Page S6441]]

colleagues to try and garner support for this important legislation. 
This is a good proposal and I encourage all my Senate colleagues to 
support it.
  That said, we must be honest about the facts. The Republican-led war 
on democracy has only worsened in the last few weeks. Most notably, the 
Governor of Texas recently signed into law a vile new voter suppression 
bill that ranks as one of the most draconian and undemocratic in living 
memory. Meanwhile, partisans across the country are sharpening their 
knives for a coming spate of vicious gerrymandering, which further 
threatens to divide our politics.
  This is unacceptable. So the Senate much must act. I intend to hold a 
vote in the Senate as early as next week on voting rights legislation. 
Time--time--is of the essence.
  I yield the floor.

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