Top House Democrats on Wednesday raised pressure on Republicans to consider legislation restoring the voting protections shot down by the Supreme Court last year.
Marking the one-year anniversary of the court's Shelby County v. Holder decision, the Democrats urged House GOP leaders to take up the bipartisan Voting Rights Amendment Act this summer, in time for November's midterm elections.
At a rally of advocates on the east lawn of the Capitol, Rep. Steny Hoyer
Steny Hamilton HoyerHillicon Valley: Pentagon reaffirms decision to award JEDI contract to Microsoft | Schiff asks officials for briefing on election security threats Democrats explore new ways to resurrect election security briefings David Cicilline launches bid for assistant Speaker MORE (D-Md.), the minority whip, urged the crowd to be "non-violent militants" in pushing Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act (VRA) update.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
Nancy PelosiHillicon Valley: Pentagon reaffirms decision to award JEDI contract to Microsoft | Schiff asks officials for briefing on election security threats Schiff asks intel officials to brief House panel on election security threats Democrats accuse Trump of rushing census to influence congressional redistricting MORE (D-Calif.) characterized the Shelby ruling as "destructive," and invoked the passage of the original 1965 law as impetus for Congress to ensure the same protections are in place in 2014.
"It changed America, it made us more American, it was long overdue. … What better way to observe that greatness … than to pass the Voting Rights [Amendment] Act?" Pelosi said.
"We have a bipartisan bill; it isn't the bill we would have written … but it does correct the decision of the court," she added. "We're calling upon the Speaker of the House to give us our vote on this bill so that we can protect the votes of millions of people."
She might not want to hold her breath.
While the VRAA has the backing of several prominent Republicans — including former Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner
Frank (Jim) James SensenbrennerScott Fitzgerald wins Wisconsin GOP primary to replace Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner Hillicon Valley: House panel grills tech CEOs during much anticipated antitrust hearing | TikTok to make code public as it pushes back against 'misinformation' | House Intel panel expands access to foreign disinformation evidence Five takeaways as panel grills tech CEOs MORE (Wis.), who helped draft the bill — GOP leaders have been less than enthusiastic about moving the proposal on the floor.
Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte
Robert (Bob) William GoodlatteNo documents? Hoping for legalization? Be wary of Joe Biden Press: Trump's final presidential pardon: himself USCIS chief Cuccinelli blames Paul Ryan for immigration inaction MORE (R-Va.) has shown no interest in examining the proposal in his committee. Majority Leader Eric Cantor
Eric Ivan CantorBottom line Trump taps pollster to push back on surveys showing Biden with double-digit lead Bottom Line MORE (R-Va.) has expressed support for the concept but hasn't endorsed the bill, and his stunning primary defeat earlier in the month has tempered much of his influence in the GOP conference.
Speaker John Boehner
John Andrew BoehnerFive things we learned from this year's primaries Bad blood between Pelosi, Meadows complicates coronavirus talks Wary GOP eyes Meadows shift from brick-thrower to dealmaker MORE (R-Ohio) said last week that, while "conversations are going to continue" in search of a response to the Shelby decision, he has "no idea" if the House will consider legislation this year.
"You'll have to talk to those who are working on it," he told reporters last Thursday.
In its 5-4 Shelby decision, the Supreme Court found that, while Congress has the power to monitor elections for fairness, the VRA formula dictating which states must get federal pre-clearance before altering their voting rules is outdated and therefore invalid.
Chief Justice John Roberts invited Congress to "draft another formula based on current conditions."
Sensenbrenner's bill, introduced with Rep. John Conyers
John James ConyersBiden's immigration plan has serious problems Tlaib wins Michigan Democratic primary Tlaib holds lead in early vote count against primary challenger MORE (D-Mich.), aims to do just that, creating a new formula based on violations of voter protections spanning the last 15 years. Under the updated bill, the number of states requiring federal pre-clearance would drop from nine to four.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who introduced companion legislation in the upper chamber, held a hearing Wednesday to promote his proposal.
Foreshadowing a tough road ahead, Leahy lamented that "not a single Senate Republican" has endorsed the measure.