Carter Statement Following the Senate GOP, Manchin, Sinema Obstruction of Voting Rights Protections

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Troy Carter released the following statement after the Senate attempt to change the filibuster rules and protect voting rights:

“The right to vote is the beating heartbeat of democracy, but it’s currently faltering.

As many states impose dangerous voting restrictions that make it more difficult for citizens to access the ballot, Congress can bring the defibrillator and keep the blood of our democracy pumping.

We cannot afford to wait.

We must take action at the federal level to enact protections nationwide. We must ensure that every eligible voter is granted their Constitutional right to vote.

These attacks at the state level and from elected officials undermining our election systems showcases the fragile pillars upon which our democratic principles are balanced.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act that the Senate considered tonight would shore up the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and implement voter protections that would overturn state laws that limit early voting and other important voter access measures.

Policies like these have historically experienced bipartisan support, enjoying reauthorization by both Democratic and Republican Presidents.

However, something has changed of late, with nearly every Senate Republican lining up in unwavering opposition to these voting rights bills.

Why, we must ask? Why are they so afraid of letting the people vote?

I want to make something clear: the majority of Senators in the chamber today support both of these voting rights measures.

However, it is a travesty that every single one of the nation’s GOP Senators, plus two Democratic members, have chosen to prioritize the rule of the filibuster over the sacred right to vote.

The Senate has made exceptions to the filibuster many times – 163 times in its history, to be exact. The last two were just last month.

Policy as critical to the lifeblood of our democracy such as voter protections absolutely deserve the same treatment.

The model of bipartisanship that Senators Manchin and Sinema tout so fiercely has not worked out so well for Black Americans in the past.

In fact, the Voting Rights Act passed the Senate on a purely party-line basis.

That means that if the current 60-vote iteration of the filibuster was in place back in 1965, Black Americans would not have been granted the same voting rights as their fellow Americans.

Unless we act, widespread disenfranchisement in favor of a single party is dangerously close to reality.

The people’s voice could be silenced.

Today, members of the Senate have gone on record for their support or opposition of voting rights.

The roll has been called. We know where they stand.

Now, both history books and voters will hold them accountable.

As a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and a son of the South, today’s results in the Senate are personal.

Black Americans and our allies in justice have sacrificed so much and fought for so long for the civil rights we hold dear.

We have bled, cried, and died for the ballot.

One thing is for certain: though we are stymied by the Senate today, we are not done.  The fight is not over.

In every fashion, and in every avenue, we will continue the battle to protect the sacred right to vote and strengthen the very foundation of our democracy.”

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