John,

We’ll be honest with you: We feel frustrated. Despite 83 percent of Americans supporting federal voting rights legislation, Senate Republicans blocked the For the People Act, and then the Freedom to Vote Act -- an updated compromise version of the For the People Act. To really understand why things don’t seem to be moving forward, we have to talk about the filibuster.

If you're not 100% sure about what the filibuster is, why it's stalling progress, and what it's used for, you're not alone. Here's a quick explainer on the filibuster, its racist history, and everything you need to know about the role it plays in our government right now:

First things first: What is the filibuster? How does it work?

A filibuster refers to any attempt to block or delay legislative action in the Senate. Senators can filibuster a bill by debating the matter on the floor of the Senate or offering a series of procedural motions or simply announcing they intend to block a bill.

To end a filibuster, the full Senate can force a vote with a process known as cloture, needs three-fifths of all senators -- 60 senators -- to vote to end debate and move to a vote on the bill. If the cloture vote fails, the bill does not move forward in the legislative process, and the Senate moves on to other business.

So, why are we talking about the filibuster now?

In recent history, the filibuster has been used more than ever -- it has been increasingly used by the political party that is not in power to block legislation. It has allowed the will of the majority of Americans to be overshadowed by a small group fixated on maintaining power.

As we mentioned previously, the filibuster is currently being used to stall multiple pieces of voting rights legislation that the majority of Americans (and senators) support. When lawmakers continue to use the filibuster, they are undermining our democracy and the Senate's ability to govern, pass legislation, and deliver on the promises they made to the American people.

Why does the filibuster's racist history matter?

The filibuster has a long and devastating legacy as a tool to uphold white supremacy. It was first used as a tool of Southern senators to uphold slavery and then later became a mechanism to block civil rights legislation over time and even until today.

From anti-lynching bills to voting rights and fair employment, housing discrimination, on and on. Pro-slavery senators like John C. Calhoun (SC) used the filibuster to protect Southern interests. Defenders of Jim Crow used the filibuster to block civil rights bills. Of every bill that failed between 1917 and 1994 because of the filibuster -- half of them were civil rights bills, including anti-lynching bills from 1922 and 1935.

Basically, it's blocked economic, racial, social, civil rights and justice legislation that would benefit all Americans and has no place in our modern political structures in its current form.

What can we do about the filibuster?

We need our elected officials in Congress to do their part to protect our democracy by eliminating our instituting meaningful reform to the filibuster. Call or email your senators today about supporting the Freedom to Vote Act and reforming the filibuster.

CALL YOUR SENATORS

EMAIL YOUR SENATORS

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When We All Vote