Bernie Sanders renews call for action on voting rights bill after Texas legislature drama

‘The future of American democracy is at stake’

(AFP via Getty Images)

Senator Bernie Sanders called for the Senate to pass S. 1, a landmark piece of voting rights legislation, on Tuesday while celebrating a walkout by members of the Texas state legislature that resulted in a GOP-led elections bill to be defeated.

If passed, S. 1, commonly known as the “For The People Act”, would institute a number of nationwide provisions including automatic voter registration and early voting, and would also restore voting rights for federal elections to Americans who are released from prison after felony convictions.

“Congratulations to Democrats in Texas for protecting democracy and the right to vote. Let's see if Democrats in the U.S. Senate have the same courage,” Mr Sanders tweeted.

Over the weekend, members of Texas's state House walked out to prevent the passage of a bill Sunday that would have cut back on hours at polling places and reduced access to mail-in voting, which was expanded during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We MUST pass S. 1, the For The People Act. The future of American democracy is at stake,” the Vermont senator and two-time presidential candidate added.

The legislation faces a steep path to President Joe Biden’s desk despite widespread support among the Democratic Party’s base due to the split control of the Senate, and the requirement that the For The People Act would need 60 votes to pass the chamber. The bill faces near-total opposition from Republican lawmakers and conservative organisations, which have decried the bill as a federal takeover of election procedures.

Some activists have pushed Democrats to end the Senate’s legislative filibuster as a means of passing the legislation, a move that is not supported by some centrist members of the party including Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).