With days until their MLK Jr. Day deadline, Senate Democrats are making a final push for voting rights this week.
What's on the agenda? Two voting rights bills: the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Both bills were filibustered and blocked by GOP Senators in 2021; to overcome a filibuster, both bills need 60 votes. (NBC)
If both bills are blocked this week, Democrats are mulling a rule change to pass voting rights by a simple majority vote.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote that the chamber would "consider changes to Senate rules on or before Jan. 17."
What does that mean? Senate Democrats want to create a voting rights carveout for the filibuster. (AP)
How many votes do they need to change the rules? They would need a simple majority of 51 votes. (AP)
The stakes are high: both bills are meant to counteract voter suppression efforts enacted in wake of the 2020 election.
Per the Brennan Center for Justice, as of Dec. 2021, 19 states have passed 34 voter suppression laws since 2020.
In 2021, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill into law giving state legislators the power to disqualify ballots. (Vox)
In Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law a bill removing voters from the state's permanent early voting list. (Vox)
What do Democrats' voting rights bills do? They both establish federal national elections standards.
The JLVRAA re-establishes the VRA's preclearance provision, which was struck down by SCOTUS in 2013. (CNN)
The VRA's pre-clearance provision prevented states with histories of racism from unilaterally changing voting laws. (CNN)