John Lewis Voting Rights Act Clears U.S. House, Heads To Senate
Download mp3 (9.87 MB)The John Lewis Voting Rights Act passed through a House vote Aug. 24 along a party-line vote of 219-212. The act comes as many Republican-led state Legislatures pass restrictive voting laws in response to losses in the 2020 election.
The just-passed House bill would strengthen portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — specifically addressing the federal government's ability to intervene in state election operations. The bill now heads to the Senate, where conventional wisdom is predicting it will die without the prospects of getting the 60 votes needed for passage.
Tammy Patrick is a senior elections adviser with the Democracy Fund and a former federal compliance officer for the Maricopa County Elections Department.
The Show spoke with her to learn about the most important provisions of the new act.
