The Biden administration came out in support of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act as the House is set to vote on the legislation this week, according to the Hill.
“Some have sought to delegitimize the [November 2020] election and make it harder to vote, in many cases by targeting the methods of voting that made it possible for many voters to participate,” the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said in a statement. “These efforts violate the most basic ideals of America.”
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act are Democrats’ main strategy to combat the wave of voting restrictions that have been proposed or passed across the country in Republican-controlled legislatures in the wake of the November presidential election.
The For the People Act is stuck in the Senate because of lack of support from Republicans. The John Lewis Act will also need support from at least 10 Republicans in the Senate to overcome a filibuster and become law.
That seems unlikely at this point.
Moderate Sens. Lisa Murkowksi (R-Alaska) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) have urged bipartisanship on the issue, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has called the H.R. 4 “unnecessary,” The Hill reports.
