Senate Democrats all agree that we need federal voting protections and we need them now. The Freedom to Vote Act was introduced as a result of that party unity -- a revised piece of legislation that upholds most of the key pillars of the For the People Act like protecting the right to vote, ending partisan gerrymandering, and decreasing the power of big moneyed special interests.

A majority vote in the Senate was not, however, enough to pass legislation. Democrats needed 10 Republicans to join them for the 60 votes required to end debate and break the GOP filibuster to even have an up-or-down vote.

In other words, Senate Republicans just utilized an archaic, Jim Crow era rule, the filibuster, to block voter protections and continue the suppression of our inalienable rights.

The Freedom to Vote Act would have protected Americans from the outrageous right-wing voter suppression bills that have passed Republican state legislatures in places like Arizona, Georgia and Texas. And Senate Republicans used an anti-democratic effort to block it.

For decades, the filibuster has been used to protect racist policies and block progress in the Senate, giving a minority of senators the ability to hold legislation hostage. And now we’ve circled back, with the GOP once again ignoring the voice of the people, especially disenfranchised voters, and using the filibuster to block legislation supported by a majority of Americans.

It is time for Senate Democrats to WAKE UP. They have the opportunity to eliminate the filibuster once and for all. Democratic leaders who refuse to eliminate the filibuster are ignoring the outcry of the American people and our inalienable rights to access free and fair elections.

We must not continue to allow the filibuster to continue to block progress towards democracy, justice, and equity.

Sign the petition to your senator(s): Eliminate the filibuster NOW! End the gridlock and get to work!