Despite Senator Manchin’s desire for bipartisanship on voting rights, the Republican Party is adamantly opposed to protecting Americans’ right to vote. Manchin has said that in order to pass voting rights legislation, the 50 Democratic Senators would need at least 10 Republicans to vote with them. But at least 42 of the 50 GOP Senators have already made it clear that they do not support voting rights.
In fact, Republicans are so dug in on undermining democracy in an effort to grab political power that Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell even announced yesterday that he would not let President Biden fill a Supreme Court vacancy if Republicans flip the Senate in 2022. He is making it abundantly clear that Republicans aren’t interested in bipartisanship.
See below for statements and actions on voting rights from 42 Republican Senators. Highlights include 11 Senators who have asked the Supreme Court to strike down Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and one Senator who already voted against the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in 2019.
GOP Statements and Actions
Sen. John Barrasso: Is a co-sponsor of S. 459, a severely restrictive voting bill. [S. 459, co-sponsored 2/25/21; Forbes, 2/25/21]
Sen. Marsha Blackburn: Senator Blackburn “and 11 Republican Senators, including McConnell, Cruz, and Tom Cotton, have asked the court to strike down Section 2 altogether. ‘The Ninth Circuit’s sweeping interpretation of VRA Section 2,’ they write, ‘would also render the statute unconstitutional.’” [Mother Jones, 3/1/21; Amicus Brief, 12/6/20]
Sen. Roy Blunt: Speaking on voting rights in 2021, Blunt said: “I don’t think there is common ground. … there’s really not much compromise there.” [Politico, 3/23/21]
Sen. Blunt voted to gut federal preclearance of election changes in 2006. [Vote 370, 7/13/06]
Sen. John Boozman: Voted for an amendment in 2013 to restrict access to the ballot box by requiring a strict photo ID requirement to be able to vote in federal elections. [Vote 83, 3/23/13]
Sen. Mike Braun: Senator Braun “and 11 Republican Senators, including McConnell, Cruz, and Tom Cotton, have asked the court to strike down Section 2 altogether. ‘The Ninth Circuit’s sweeping interpretation of VRA Section 2,’ they write, ‘would also render the statute unconstitutional.’” [Mother Jones, 3/1/21; Amicus Brief, 12/6/20]
Sen. Richard Burr: Voted for an amendment in 2013 to restrict access to the ballot box by requiring a strict photo ID requirement to be able to vote in federal elections. [Vote 83, 3/23/13]
Sen. Bill Cassidy: “When it comes to the Georgia voting law, they can’t argue the facts so they slander the motivation. Enough.” [Twitter, @SenBillCassidy, 4/29/21]
Sen. Susan Collins: “Rose went on to ask Collins for her views on new voting laws in Georgia, … In many ways, she said, the new law broadens the right to vote and makes it easier. ‘I think we should honor the fact that states have the right to set their own rules,’ she added.” [Bowdoin, 4/21/21]
Sen. John Cornyn: “‘That is a way to do through the back door what [the For The People Act] is trying to do through the front door,’ Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said when asked if he could support the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. ‘In other words, it will completely pluck the authority to conduct elections and change election laws from the states and give it to the Department of Justice.’” [Huffington Post, 5/13/21]
Sen. Tom Cotton: In an op-ed, Sen. Cotton wrote, “Last month, Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, signed legislation to make the state’s election process more secure, accessible and fair. Contrary to the avalanche of criticism from the media and the Democratic Party, this law takes sensible steps to improve the state’s elections process.” [Sen. Cotton Op-Ed, Newsweek, 4/9/21]
“And 11 Republican Senators, including McConnell, Cruz, and Tom Cotton, have asked the court to strike down Section 2 altogether. ‘The Ninth Circuit’s sweeping interpretation of VRA Section 2,’ they write, ‘would also render the statute unconstitutional.’” [Mother Jones, 3/1/21; Amicus Brief, 12/6/20]
Sen. Kevin Cramer: Co-sponsored S. 459 in the 117th Congress to severely restrict voting. [S. 459, co-sponsored 2/25/21; Forbes, 2/25/21]
Sen. Mike Crapo: Voted for an amendment in 2013 to restrict access to the ballot box by requiring a strict photo ID requirement to be able to vote in federal elections. [Vote 83, 3/23/13]
Sen. Ted Cruz: “Asked if there was room to compromise, Cruz was blunt: ‘No.’” [Associated Press, 3/19/21]
Sen. Steve Daines: In a floor speech, Sen. Daines said about Montana’s new voting restriction bills, “Montana’s legislature, Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and Montana Governor Greg Gianforte wanted to strengthen this trust, and that’s what they did with these commonsense bills.” [Press Release, Sen. Daines, 4/20/21]
Sen. Joni Ernst: “U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said she is in favor of legislation currently making its way through the Iowa Legislature that would shorten the state’s early voting period. … Ernst said Iowa’s early voting period should be cut in half from what it is now. On WHO 13’s The Insiders, Political Director Dave Price asked Ernst if 29 days are too many for early voting and if she thinks that window should be reduced. ‘I think we should tighten it up,’ Ernst said. ‘Probably a couple weeks would be enough.’” [WHO 13, 2/23/21]
“Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Red Oak, said though there were few cases of voter fraud in Iowa, those cases could determine an election. ‘What we don’t know is how many cases of fraud are out there that go undetected because we’re not using some form of voter identification,’ she said.” [Associated Press, 5/8/13]
Sen. Lindsey Graham: “‘I think South Carolina has earned the right to be free from the bureaucracy of pre-approval,’ Graham said.” [Huffington Post, 5/13/21]
“Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he believed reimposing preclearance would not be ‘fair’ to the residents of his state, which had been subject to federal oversight before the 2013 ruling. ‘This whole idea, this is just an effort to make everything about race,’ he said. ‘There’s no problem to fix in South Carolina. This is a manufactured problem, making every Republican a racist, and it ain’t working.’” [Washington Post, 5/17/21]
Sen. Chuck Grassley: “Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said Monday he doesn’t expect to bring up legislation to restore the Voting Rights Act, because lots of minority people are already voting. … Grassley dismissed the idea that there’s a need to act. ‘It depends on what you want to fix,’ he said. ‘If you want to fix more minorities voting, more minorities are already voting.’” [Huffington Post, 4/27/15]
Sen. Bill Hagerty: “But Senate Republicans like Tennessee’s Bill Hagerty say the Constitution requires states run their own elections. … ‘It’s going to forbid any federal dollars that don’t uphold the Constitution as they administer federal elections,’ he said.” [Fox59, 3/17/21]
Sen. Josh Hawley:
[E&E News, 1/6/21]
Sen. John Hoeven: Voted for an amendment in 2013 to restrict access to the ballot box by requiring a strict photo ID requirement to be able to vote in federal elections. [Vote 83, 3/23/13]
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith: Cindy Hyde-Smith on voter suppression: “And then they remind me that there’s a lot of liberal folks in those other schools who maybe we don’t want to vote. Maybe we want to make it just a little more difficult. And I think that’s a great idea.” [Daily Journal, 11/15/18]
Sen. James Inhofe: “And 11 Republican Senators, including McConnell, Cruz, and Tom Cotton, have asked the court to strike down Section 2 altogether. ‘The Ninth Circuit’s sweeping interpretation of VRA Section 2,’ they write, ‘would also render the statute unconstitutional.’” [Mother Jones, 3/1/21; Amicus Brief, 12/6/20]
Sen. Ron Johnson: Voted for an amendment in 2013 to restrict access to the ballot box by requiring a strict photo ID requirement to be able to vote in federal elections. [Vote 83, 3/23/13]
Sen. John Kennedy: “Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said he doesn’t have ‘a feel for’ the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. ‘I don’t know enough about it. I need to hear more arguments pro and con,’ he said. ‘I don’t like the fact that it involves bureaucrats and the Department of Justice telling states what they can and can’t do.’” [NBC News, 6/7/21]
Sen. James Lankford: Senator Lankford “and 11 Republican Senators, including McConnell, Cruz, and Tom Cotton, have asked the court to strike down Section 2 altogether. ‘The Ninth Circuit’s sweeping interpretation of VRA Section 2,’ they write, ‘would also render the statute unconstitutional.’” [Mother Jones, 3/1/21; Amicus Brief, 12/6/20]
Sen. Mike Lee: Senator Lee “and 11 Republican Senators, including McConnell, Cruz, and Tom Cotton, have asked the court to strike down Section 2 altogether. ‘The Ninth Circuit’s sweeping interpretation of VRA Section 2,’ they write, ‘would also render the statute unconstitutional.’” [Mother Jones, 3/1/21; Amicus Brief, 12/6/20]
On H.R.1: “‘Everything about this bill is rotten to the core,’ Lee told Fox News of the legislative package. ‘This is a bill as if written in hell by the devil himself.’” [Insider, 3/10/21]
Sen. Cynthia Lummis: On federal elections: “Congress cannot fix problems with election integrity, only states can fix these problems.” [Office of Sen. Lummis, 6/7/21]
Sen. Roger Marshall: Voted against the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in 2019. [Vote 654, 12/6/19]
Sen. Mitch McConnell: “There’s no threat to the Voting Rights Act, it’s against the law to discriminate in voting on the basis of race already, and so I think it’s unnecessary.” [Insider, 6/8/21]
“And 11 Republican Senators, including McConnell, Cruz, and Tom Cotton, have asked the court to strike down Section 2 altogether. ‘The Ninth Circuit’s sweeping interpretation of VRA Section 2,’ they write, ‘would also render the statute unconstitutional.’” [Mother Jones, 3/1/21; Amicus Brief, 12/6/20]
Sen. Jerry Moran: Voted for an amendment in 2013 to restrict access to the ballot box by requiring a strict photo ID requirement to be able to vote in federal elections. [Vote 83, 3/23/13]
Sen. Rand Paul: Right after the Shelby vs. Holder decision: “We have an African-American president. African-Americans are voting at a higher percentage in the last election than whites. There doesn’t seem to be any sort of systemic problem like there was in the South with precluding blacks from voting. So we’re at a point in time in our history where the color of your skin should not be taken into account with voting.” [Newsmax TV, 6/25/13]
“‘Yeah, but I wouldn’t vote against getting rid of the Jim Crow laws,’ Paul said. He explained that he would have opposed the Civil Rights Act because of the property rights element, not because they got rid of the Jim Crow laws.’” [The Hill, 5/13/11]
Sen. Jim Risch: Voted for an amendment in 2013 to restrict access to the ballot box by requiring a strict photo ID requirement to be able to vote in federal elections. [Vote 83, 3/23/13]
Sen. Mike Rounds: On John Lewis Voting Rights Act: “There are so many problems with that particular piece of legislation that I find it very difficult to support it.” [NBC, 6/7/21]
Sen. Marco Rubio: Defended 2012 voter purge by then-Governor Rick Scott. The purge was later found to violate federal law. [Politico, 6/13/12]
Sen. Rick Scott: On Georgia voter suppression law: “You know that the Georgia law actually expands early voting and does nothing to suppress or curtail the voting rights of anyone.” [Fox Business, Rick Scott Op-Ed, 4/19/21]
Senator Scott “and 11 Republican Senators, including McConnell, Cruz, and Tom Cotton, have asked the court to strike down Section 2 altogether. ‘The Ninth Circuit’s sweeping interpretation of VRA Section 2,’ they write, ‘would also render the statute unconstitutional.’” [Mother Jones, 3/1/21; Amicus Brief, 12/6/20]
HEADLINE: “Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s 2012 voter purge violated federal law, court rules” [Tampa Bay Times, 4/3/14]
Sen. Richard Shelby: “Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said Democrats are going about it wrong when he was asked about the prospects of the John Lewis Act. ‘They’re reaching for too much too soon,’ he said.” [NBC News, 6/7/21]
Sen. John Thune: On Georgia voter suppression law: “The state of Georgia recently passed an election reform measure – a law that keeps Georgia squarely in the mainstream when it comes to state election laws.” [Office of Sen. John Thune, 4/21/21]
Sen. Thom Tillis: “Soon after Shelby, Speaker Tillis — claiming he wanted to protect the integrity of elections and guard against fraud — oversaw the passage of one of the country’s most restrictive state voter suppression laws.” [Facing South, 7/15/20]
Senator Tillis “and 11 Republican Senators, including McConnell, Cruz, and Tom Cotton, have asked the court to strike down Section 2 altogether. ‘The Ninth Circuit’s sweeping interpretation of VRA Section 2,’ they write, ‘would also render the statute unconstitutional.’” [Mother Jones, 3/1/21; Amicus Brief, 12/6/20]
Sen. Pat Toomey: “While some elements of the Voting Rights Act could have bipartisan support, Toomey said, ‘there’s a fundamental challenge’ in that ‘Republicans don’t think we should federalize election law.’ ‘I think you have to make the case for why we need preclearance,’ Toomey told TPM. ‘Where is there demonstrated evidence that we need it today, rather than what we needed 60 years ago? Because in six decades America has changed.’” [Talking Points Memo, 6/8/21]
Sen. Tommy Tuberville: On not supporting federal elections legislation: “This bill forces a one-size-fits-all election system on our country by federally mandating how states run their elections. … H.R. 1 would prohibit States from requiring voters to show identification, photo ID, or otherwise. Currently, 36 States have requirements where voters need to show ID to vote. Nearly 75 percent of States agree that it is a good idea to confirm you are who you say you are when you go to exercise one of the most important civic duties. But the point is, States get to decide. They get to decide the laws on their books when it comes to managing their Federal election processes.” [Congressional Record, 3/15/21]
Sen. Roger Wicker: On Shelby vs. Holder: “Today’s decision is a good step in returning power back to the states. As the Court noted, the criteria being used by the Justice Department to implement portions of the ‘Voting Rights Act’ are outdated. I welcome today’s ruling to treat all states equally under the law and hope it will finally clear the way for Mississippi to implement our commonsense voter identification laws in a way that is fair to all citizens.” [Office of Sen. Wicker, Press Release, 6/25/13]
Sen. Todd Young: Voted to block the Justice Department from challenging state restrictive and discriminatory voter identification laws. [Vote 231, 5/9/12]
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