The Senate majority leader has indicated that there will be a cloture vote on the Freedom to Vote Act (FTVA) and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (JLVRAA) this month. If these votes to open discussion on the bills are overcome by the filibuster, he has promised there will be talks about procedural changes in the Senate, including a conversation on adjusting the filibuster to allow important issues of the day to be debated. The filibuster can be used to protect the voice of the minority and to force meaningful dialogue on issues presented to the Senate. However, it also has a less noble history as a tool to obstruct Civil Rights legislation. Recently, it has been used as a tool of obstruction, preventing debate and legislative compromise.
MWEG believes every eligible voter has the right to participate in the democratic process by being able to easily and securely cast an unencumbered ballot — rights the FTVA and JLVRAA intend to protect. We also believe the government is representative of the people and Congress is obligated to fulfill the responsibilities maintained by their office. The Senate is tasked with being the deliberative body of Congress. But when the filibuster is used to thwart open dialogue and deliberation, the Senate fails to carry out its duties.
TO DO:
Contact your senator, Kyrsten Sinema, to let her know you want her to be a solid advocate of voting freedoms. Let her know you hope she will address the abusive way the filibuster has halted this conversation in the Senate. In less than five minutes, you can submit a letter to Senator Sinema via our Call To Action. You have the option to either write your own letter or answer some short prompts to have a personalized letter created for you. Go HERE to submit a letter.
BACKGROUND:
The battle for free and fair elections has been a hallmark of our nation’s history. There have been gains and losses, but in 1965 it seemed the battle had finally been won and voting rights had been secured. Since then, and especially in recent years, we have seen a regression of the freedom to vote with an increased number of laws being enacted that make access to a ballot a more onerous process for some. In 2021, the Freedom to Vote Act was written based on best voting practices garnered from all states — red, blue, and purple. These were used to create a proposed national standard on which states could base their voting processes. In addition, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act was also introduced, which restored and strengthened parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were struck down by the Supreme Court in two recent rulings. Both bills passed the House but were halted in the Senate. Each time, the filibuster, requiring a three-fifths majority, prevented the bills from even being discussed on the Senate floor.
Some argue the purpose of the filibuster has been to halt endless, nonsensical talking about a bill and instead encourage meaningful debate and preserve the voice of the minority. Recently, we have seen this Senate procedure abused to instead prevent any debate at all by obstructing legislation from even reaching the floor. In order for the Senate to complete its responsibilities of addressing and debating the issues of the day, it is important that there be procedural changes that mitigate the obstructionist nature of the filibuster. We encourage Senator Sinema to become actively involved in conversations and actions that remove this obstacle and thus open the doors for Senate dialogue on important voting issues.
The obstruction of open debate on laws that support the freedom to vote violates multiple MWEG Principles of Ethical Government, including:
2(a) Political structures and electoral systems should be designed to maximize participation of and provide equitable access to all citizens in a society (see Mosiah 29:32).
1(e) Government institutions and political norms that promote deliberation, reduce polarization, and stimulate compromise among competing perspectives should be safeguarded and, where lacking, adopted (see 3 Nephi 7:1-6 and 4 Nephi 1:15-17).
3(g) When laws are unjust—especially when they violate the human and civil rights of vulnerable or marginalized groups—all citizens have an obligation to work toward reformation of those laws, whether or not they are directly harmed by those unjust laws (see Alma 30:7).
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