Washington, D.C. — In response to Senate Republicans’ failure to advance S. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) issued the following statement from Voting Rights Program Director Justin Kwasa:

“It is past time for the Senate to eliminate the arcane and undemocratic filibuster rule in order to enact overwhelmingly popular voting rights legislation. Despite bipartisan support from the majority of senators, Republican senators denied the will of the people and majority in Congress today by using the filibuster to block the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act from passing the Senate.

“With 19 states passing election laws that will make it harder to vote, passing S. 4 would be a vital step forward from Congress to protect the voice of voters, especially the communities of color and other low-income communities that have been continuously targeted. Critically, the Senate version of S. 4 includes the Native American Voting Rights Act, which addresses some unique obstacles to voting that Native voters and tribal governments often face. To honor the late Representative John Lewis’ legacy, we must do everything we can to ensure racial, environmental, and electoral justice for all — starting with eliminating the filibuster and passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the Freedom to Vote Act, and D.C. Statehood.”

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