[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 158 (Tuesday, September 14, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S6464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             VOTING RIGHTS

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, now, on another subject--one that the 
Presiding Officer cares about a great deal, among the many other things 
you care about a great deal--voting rights. All year long, Senate 
Democrats have committed to passing legislation to protect the most 
sacrosanct right in our democracy, the right to vote. On two occasions, 
Senate Democrats voted unanimously to begin debate in the Senate on 
this critical issue, and both times Republicans formed a wall of total 
opposition against any progress on voting rights in the U.S. Senate.
  But Republicans' refusal to work with us is no excuse for not getting 
something done. So later today, my colleague, Senator Klobuchar, along 
with Senators Kaine, King, Manchin, Merkley, Padilla, Tester, and 
Warnock, will be introducing the Freedom to Vote Act, a compromise 
voting rights bill that I intend to schedule a vote on in the very near 
future.
  To piece this bill together, I am proud to have convened and worked 
with eight Members of my caucus--four progressives and four moderates--
in bringing this bill to fruition. The compromise proposal contains 
many of the important provisions of previous voting rights bills 
championed by Senate Democrats, particularly by my colleague Senator 
Merkley. It will protect the right to vote and put a stop to partisan 
gerrymandering and the scourge of dark money in our politics. 
Critically, the legislation also incorporates important feedback from 
election officials and includes new measures to promote greater voter 
confidence in our elections while stopping partisan election 
subversion. This is a good proposal, one that nobody in this Chamber 
should oppose.
  My colleague Senator Manchin is working with Republicans to secure 
support for the bill, and we look forward to hearing what changes they 
might make on legislation. I applaud Senator Manchin for his work here. 
He has always said that he wants to try and bring Republicans on, and 
now with the support of Democrats and this compromise bill that Senator 
Manchin had great input into, he can go forward in that regard.
  The fact of the matter is that this legislation is critical for 
stopping some of the most egregious assaults against voting rights 
happening at the State level. A few weeks ago, the Governor of Texas 
signed one of the most sweeping voter suppression bills in the entire 
country. It comes on the heels of other restrictions sprouting across 
the country--from ending election day registration in Montana, limiting 
after-hour drop boxes in Florida, and even making it a crime to give 
food and water to voters at the polls in Georgia.
  No one can look at these restrictions with a straight face and say 
they have a legitimate purpose. They have only one goal. It is a 
despicable goal. It is a nasty goal, making it harder for younger, 
poorer, non-White, and typically Democratic voters to access the 
ballot.
  Republicans lost the election. Biden is President. I am majority 
leader. Instead of doing what you are supposed to do in a democracy--
win over the people you didn't win before--they are trying to stop the 
people who didn't vote for them from voting. That is autocratic, anti-
democratic--small ``D''--and not what America is all about. It is a new 
phase of what used to be called ``Jim Crow.''
  The Freedom to Vote Act is a necessary step to put an end to these 
assaults on the franchise. As majority leader, it is my intention to 
hold a vote on this bill as soon as next week, as I mentioned.

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