[ [link removed] ]Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress




There’s been a lot of talk about reforming or eliminating the filibuster
in order to pass voting rights legislation.

To catch you up, we put together this email explaining everything you need
to know about the filibuster, its origins, and why it must be eliminated:

First, what is the filibuster?

The filibuster is a Senate rule that requires 60 votes (a super majority)
for ‘most’ legislation to get a vote in the Senate.

We say ‘most’ because numerous exceptions to the filibuster already exist.
Since 1969, 161 exceptions to the filibuster’s supermajority requirement
have been created. Now civil rights advocates are asking for another
exception to be created so critical voting rights legislation can pass the
Senate.

What is the history of the filibuster?

The filibuster is not by design, it was actually a mistake. Like the
House, the Senate used to only require a simple majority — or 51 votes.
Then, in 1805, the Senate was doing a clean-up of its rule book and took
out the simple majority rule because they thought it was redundant —
effectively it went without saying, how else would a democratic body
operate?

It took decades for obstructionists to realize the unintentional gift
they’d been given and start exploiting it, often to the detriment of civil
rights. The longest continuous filibuster debate in Senate history was
about passing the 1964 Civil Rights Act^1 to end racial discrimination in
public accomodations. During the Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction
eras, senators used the filibuster to block other major civil rights
legislation, including measures to prohibit lynching and end poll taxes.^2

What happens if we don’t reform the filibuster?

We’re facing another era of anti-democratic reforms. The last presidential
election had the highest turnout in U.S. history, and Republican elected
officials responded with a wave of new voting restrictions — 19 states
passed 33 laws restricting voting laws in 2021 alone, including
restrictions aimed at making voting more difficult. In Georgia, you can
now be charged with a crime for handing out water or snacks to voters
waiting in line at the polls, and in Texas election officials could face
criminal prosecution if they encourage voters to request mail ballots or
regulate poll watchers’ conduct.^3

There is a bill in the Senate that could address some of these
restrictions — the For the People Act (H.R. 1). But the filibuster is
standing in the way of progress that people are demanding.

[ [link removed] ]Please add your name now if you agree that we must end or reform the
filibuster in order to protect our democracy.

[ [link removed] ]Add your name

We’ll keep you posted on the rule changes and how you can help.

In solidarity,

Team AOC

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 - [ [link removed] ]Senate.gov
2 - [ [link removed] ]Facing South
3 - [ [link removed] ]Brennan Center


 

This email was sent to [email protected]. Email is the most important way we keep in touch with people like you, so thank you for reading to the end. Small donors like you keep us going. To contribute via check, please address to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress, PO Box 680080, Corona, NY 11368.



You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]


PAID FOR BY ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ FOR CONGRESS