Jun 21, 2021 - Politics & Policy

By the numbers: Lawmakers sponsoring most voting bills

Data: Quorum; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios

Senators and House members have introduced 59 bills with multiple sponsors this Congress that mention issues like ballot access, election integrity, absentee voting, voter registration, voter identification and mail-in ballots, according to data from Quorum.

Why it matters: Efforts to change voting laws and end the filibuster are coming to a head this week with an initial vote on Democrats' sweeping election legislation — the For the People Act — scheduled for Tuesday.

  • One bill not introduced so far during the 117th Congress: the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) supports.
  • It would restore some voting rights protections of the Voting Rights Act struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013.

The big picture: While Democrats are failing to get the support needed to pass major voting legislation in Congress, Republican state lawmakers have introduced hundreds of voting bills this legislative year.

  • They include measures that could make it harder for some people to vote.
  • As of mid-May, 14 states had enacted 22 of these laws, according to the Brennan Center.
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