Senator Reverend Warnock: “In the spirit of Congressman Lewis, it is incumbent on those Senators who believe in protecting the sacred right to vote to act and legislate boldly to defend the foundations of our democracy”

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) issued the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked a vote to advance the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, of which Senator Warnock is a co-author.

“Today, the Senate attempted to advance legislation in the name of national hero John Lewis that would restore the central, critical protections of the Voting Rights Act for which he courageously bled and sacrificed. While I’m glad the bill garnered the support of one Republican Senator, I am deeply appalled that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle once again blocked our efforts to even debate this critical issue.

“I am undeterred in the march to pass federal voting rights legislation this Congress. Americans from across the ideological spectrum agree something is broken in our democracy, and for months my colleagues and I have worked in good faith to start a conversation about this issue in the world’s greatest deliberative body. But some of our colleagues won’t let that happen, and refuse to have this debate in front of the American people. So in the spirit of Congressman Lewis, it is incumbent on those Senators who believe in protecting the sacred right to vote to act and legislate boldly to defend the foundations of our democracy.”

###