[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 182 (Monday, October 18, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7022-S7023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Voting Rights

  Madam President, on voting rights, this week, the Senate will have an 
opportunity to engage in a momentous and urgent debate protecting the 
right to vote in free and fair elections.
  Later this evening, I will begin the process for the Senate to 
consider the Freedom to Vote Act, a powerful new bill designed to 
fortify our democracy, protect the vote, and renew the American 
people's trust in our elections. After I file cloture tonight on the 
motion to proceed, Members can expect the vote to take place on 
Wednesday.
  The Freedom to Vote Act is a balanced, effective, and commonsense 
bill. It sets basic standards for all Americans to vote safely and 
securely, while protecting elections from subversion. It fights back 
against the power of Big Money and ends partisan gerrymandering, while 
respecting the role of States in carrying out elections.

  The bill represents the first time every single Senate Democrat has 
united on voting rights legislation. It is a strong bill. It advances 
election reforms proven to work in red, blue, and purple States across 
the country.
  I thank my colleagues--all of my colleagues--for the work in putting 
this

[[Page S7023]]

bill together. I thank them for their dedication in advancing the 
simple idea that all Americans, no matter what ZIP Code they live in, 
should have the freedom to vote safely and securely. I want to 
particularly thank Senator Manchin, who has led the way in finding 
common ground with our Republican colleagues on this proposal.
  It is now time for us to move forward on this legislation as 
promised.
  Now, just so we are all clear, the vote that will happen on Wednesday 
is a procedural vote to begin debate on the bill. Voting yes does not 
mean signing on any policy or bill text; it is, rather, an invitation 
for Senators to come to the table to debate, to deliberate, and to 
compromise, just as the Senate was meant to do.
  If there is anything worthy of debate in this Chamber, it should be 
protecting and strengthening our democracy. With everything we are 
seeing at the State level, the Senate must take action, and we must 
take action now. The right to vote is the beating heart of any 
democracy.
  I know we can vote to protect our elections and empower all Americans 
to have their voices heard. I hope we can do so together across the 
aisle. I implore my Republican colleagues to come to the table and work 
with us on this issue. I implore them to turn away from spurious claims 
of the Big Lie that are degrading faith in our democracy.
  I know many of my colleagues agree in their heart of hearts that we 
cannot allow our democracy to fall victim to conspiracy theories, 
subversion, and disinformation, but they must join us in working 
towards solutions. To be sure, Senate Democrats don't expect that our 
Republican colleagues will agree with every idea we have on voting 
rights. We know the disagreements run deep. But in this Chamber, 
Senators should not run away from debating the things we disagree 
about. If our Republican colleagues have good ideas, we are ready to 
work in good faith to listen to them, to consider them, and if they are 
aligned with the goals of this bill, to include them in the final text. 
But for any of that to happen, our Republican colleagues must agree to 
come to the table first. They should agree to let the Senate begin 
debate. That is all this first vote is. It says: Are we willing to 
debate voting rights, sacred and important in our democracy?
  It is not acceptable to simply turn away from debating voting rights, 
to act as if the Congress has no role to play in the defense of free 
and fair elections and simply pretend like there is nothing malicious 
afoot at the State level. No, inaction is not an option. The clock is 
ticking--the clock is ticking--for this Chamber to do something to 
protect our democracy before these dangerous laws take root for the 
next election. The Senate can rise to the task if given the chance, but 
it must be allowed to begin its work first.
  Republicans, later this week, will have a chance to go on record and 
show if they believe that protecting our democracy is worthy of this 
Chamber's attention.