Voting rights suffered a major and unfortunate blow late Wednesday when needed legislation failed in the U.S. Senate, where Republicans succeeded in blocking the legislation.
But that doesn't mean the fight is over. Establishing a floor that protects the basic voting rights of American citizens is too important to let it become the victim of a procedural rule, in this case the filibuster that requires 60 votes to close debate. That rule, once employed rarely, has been weaponized to the point where it has created gridlock on far too many important issues.
Let's be clear about what is at stake here. In the years since the Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act, enabling states to pass restrictive voting measures, many states have done just that. Last year alone, 19 states adopted dozens of laws that make it harder for average people to vote. How does restricting mail-in voting, limiting secure drop boxes and reducing polling days and hours serve the cause of election integrity? It doesn't. But it can make exercising that right a marathon of persistence.
