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United States · Bill · S

S. 4 (117th)

John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021

openUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

5 October 2021

Last action

3 November 2021 · Vote

Status

Motion by Senator Schumer to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 4 was not invoked (Record Vote No. 459) entered in Senate.

Sponsors

Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT], Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY], Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL], Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT], Sen. Warnock, Raphael G. [D-GA], Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA], Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI], Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO], Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ], Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH], Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA], Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD], Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE], Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA], Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE], Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV], Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL], Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA], Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY], Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH], Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM], Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO], Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI], Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA], Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ], Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME], Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN], Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM], Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA], Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ], Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR], Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT], Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA], Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA], Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI], Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI], Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV], Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT], Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI], Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH], Sen. Sinema, Kyrsten [I-AZ], Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN], Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI], Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT], Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD], Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA], Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA], Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]

Subjects

Transport

Source updated

28 May 2025

Transport

Official sourceDownload fileView documentsShare

Summary

John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 This bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices may take effect. Preclearance is the process of receiving preapproval from the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before making legal changes that would affect voting rights. The bill also includes provisions related to federally protected activities at polling places and voting access on tribal lands. A state and all of its political subdivisions shall be subject to preclearance of voting practice changes for a 10-year period if 15 or more voting rights violations occurred in the state during the previous 25 years; or 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least 1 of which was committed by the state itself. A political subdivision as a separate unit shall also be subject to preclearance for a 10-year period if three or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years. States and political subdivisions that meet certain thresholds regarding minority groups must preclear covered practices before implementation, such as changes to methods of election and redistricting. Further, states and political subdivisions must notify the public of changes to voting practices. Next, the bill authorizes DOJ to require states or political subdivisions to provide certain documents or answers to questions for enforcing voting rights. The bill also outlines factors courts must consider when hearing challenges to voting practices, such as the history of official voting discrimination in the state or political subdivision. In addition, the bill (1) includes certain protections for election workers, polling places, and election infrastructure; and (2) expands voting access on tribal lands.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

  1. 5 October 2021

    Introduced

    Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S6916)

    Source: Calendars

  2. 5 October 2021

    Introduced

    Introduced in Senate

    Source: IntroReferral

  3. 6 October 2021

    Calendars

    Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 143.

    Source: Calendars

  4. 1 November 2021

    Floor

    Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate. (CR S7535)

    Source: Floor

  5. 3 November 2021

    Vote

    Cloture on the motion to proceed to the measure not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 50 - 49. Record Vote Number: 459. (CR S7701)

    Source: Floor

Votes

3 November 2021 · Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected · On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed S. 4 · Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected · Official source

Yes 50 · No 49 · Abstain — · Absent/not voting 1

Showing the first 4 recorded positions. Vote totals above are complete.

Versions

Documents

3 official files

Placed on Calendar Senate (text)

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Leesvertaling

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  • Placed on Calendar Senate (text)

    Placed on Calendar Senate · EN · 6 October 2021

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

  • Placed on Calendar Senate (PDF)

    Placed on Calendar Senate · EN · 6 October 2021

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

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  • Introduced in Senate

    summary · EN · 5 October 2021

    Open at official source

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Sponsors

Showing 48 of 49 sponsors and actors.

Related records

Sources

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