Since the swearing in of President Joe Biden, the Republicans have sped up rolling back voting rights. Democrats are not sitting idly by while this is taking place. The For the People Act aims to curb these practices by the Republicans at the Federal level. But while the act went through the House it is headed for Senate where 60 votes are required. A New York Times article by Nicholas Fandos and Michael Wines examines the stakes. Here is an excerpt:

State and national voting-rights advocates are waging the most consequential political struggle over access to the ballot since the civil rights era, a fight increasingly focused on a far-reaching federal overhaul of election rules in a last-ditch bid to offset a wave of voting restrictions sweeping Republican-controlled state legislatures.

The federal voting bill, which passed in the House this month with only Democratic support, includes a landmark national expansion of voting rights, an end to partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts and new transparency requirements on the flood of dark money financing elections that would override the rash of new state laws.

The energy in support for it radiates from well-financed veteran organizers to unpaid volunteers, many who were called to political activism after former President Donald J. Trump’s upset win in 2016. It is engaging Democrats in Washington and voting rights activists in crucial states from Georgia to Iowa to West Virginia to Arizona — some facing rollbacks in access to the ballot, some with senators who will play pivotal roles and some with both.

Visit this link for the full article. Also visit our most recent articles on the voting rights act and voter access.