House Democrats, moving to counter a wave of Republican state-level initiatives to restrict ballot access, passed legislation to restore portions of the historic 1965 Voting Rights Act, adding pressure on the U.S. Senate to break a logjam on the issue.
The 219-212 party-line House vote Tuesday heightens the stakes as the Senate prepares to take up voting rights legislation after it returns in September from its summer break. Civil rights leaders and progressive groups are demanding the Senate eliminate or carve out a new exception to its traditional filibuster rule if the Republican minority uses the provision to block protection ...