Stacey Abrams, a leading Democratic figure, on Sunday called on the US Senate to exempt from a hurdle called the filibuster the legislative reform adopted by the House of Representatives on the Republican opposition.
“Democracy protection is so fundamental, that it should be free from filibuster rules,” said CNN’s “State of the Union” programme in January Abrams, a former senior Georgian legislator and unsuccessful Georgian governor candidate, who helped Democrats win two rush elections in the U.S. Senate in his own home country.
The House of Democrats adopted on 3 March the bill aimed at reforming voting procedures, increasing voter turnout and requiring states to appoint independent commissions to redraw Congressional districts to protect them against party manipulation.
There is a discussion of whether to modify or even eliminate the Filibuster, which makes it impossible for most laws to advance without 60 ballots in the 100-seat Senate, by Democrats who control the Senate closely thanks to the two Georgia victories.
The filibuster has already been reduced and does not apply to judicial or cabinet appointments and certain budget measures, Abrams pointed out, so the legislation on voting rights should be suspended. Abrams, former leader of the minority in the House of Representatives of Georgia, has emerged as a leading Democratic voting voice.
Democratic President Joe Biden said that if Congress passed, he would sign election legislation into law, but also indicated opposition to the complete elimination of the filibuster.
The bill passed in the House is facing long odds in the Senate, according to current rules, where all 48 Democrats and the two independents who caucus with them need to be joined to overcome the filibuster by 10 of the 50 Republican senators.
Democrats argue that legislation is necessary to reduce voting barriers and to make the US political system more democratic and respond to voters’ needs. Republicans have said that it will take away powers and have promised to fight against them if they become law.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated that when he was the Texas Attorney General, he repeatedly sued former Democratic president Barack Obama for various policies. Abbott said that he would now not hesitate to challenge the electoral measure by law if it was passed and Biden signed it.
“The tool of litigation is the strongest we have,” Abbott said on “Sunday Morning Futures” on the Fox News programme.
U.S. Senator John Cornyn of Texas, speaking on the same programme: “We are going to fight it in the Senate and we’re going to fight it in court if needed.”
The 2020 elections saw record turnout, which was heavily utilised by the Democratic electorate in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Democrats accused Republicans at the state level of the partisan advantage of following electoral suppression laws. False claims have been made by former President Donald Trump that by widespread voting fraud and irregularities, he was stolen from the 2020 elections. Since then, in numerous state legislatures, Republicans have introduced measures to limit voting access.
For example, a proposal approved this month by the Republican-controlled Georgia House would restrict voting drop boxes, tighten absentee voting requirements and limit early voting on Sundays, restrict conventional ‘Souls to polls’ voting participation programmes in Black churches.
