Senate votes to block consideration of John Lewis Voting Rights Act

The Senate has blocked the consideration of a voting rights act named after late civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.

In August, H.R. 4, known as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, passed the House by a vote of 219-212, with all Republicans voting no and all Democrats who were present voting yes.

The Lewis bill outlines a new, expanded formula that the Department of Justice can use to identify discriminatory voting patterns in states and local jurisdictions. Those entities would then need to get DOJ approval before making further changes to elections. The bill also includes a provision designed to counter the summer’s Supreme Court ruling that made it harder to challenge potentially discriminatory voting changes.

Following weeks of private negotiations, Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, signed on to a revised version of the bill.