Biden's Voting Rights Push Faces Resistance in Georgia Amid Filibuster Debate

As Joe Biden visits Atlanta to call for immediate passage of national voting rights legislation, a coalition of influential activists in Georgia is refusing to attend his speech, citing a lack of a concrete plan to advance the bills. "We will not be attending," said a joint statement from Black Voters Matter, Galeo Impact Fund, New Georgia Project Action Fund, Asian American Advocacy Fund, Atlanta-North Georgia Labor Council, and James Woodall, the Georgia NAACP president.

"We see his speech as a critical first step in a series of actions to move voting rights legislation forward," Martin Luther King III, the son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., said in a statement. "We are hopeful that after tomorrow's trip to our home state, the President will honor my father's legacy by traveling back to Washington and using every political chip he has to ensure the filibuster doesn't obstruct the right to vote for Black and Brown Americans."

Biden will lay a wreath at the crypt of Dr. King and visit the church where he was once a pastor. However, the activist groups have warned the president and vice-president that their high-profile trip to Atlanta could be seen as a "waste of time" if legislative action does not follow.

Key Takeaways:

• A coalition of influential activists in Georgia has refused to attend Joe Biden's speech on voting rights, citing a lack of a concrete plan to advance the legislation.
• The activists have warned the president and vice-president that their trip to Atlanta could be seen as a "waste of time" if legislative action does not follow.
• Martin Luther King III has expressed his hope that Biden will use his visit to pressure lawmakers to pass voting rights legislation and amend the filibuster to lower the 60-vote threshold.
• The filibuster debate is a major hurdle in the passage of voting rights bills, with strong opposition from Republican senators.
• Democrats need all 50 senators on board to move forward with changes to the filibuster, but centrists Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have yet to commit to support.

Statistics:

• The Senate is currently at an impasse over voting rights legislation, with no vote scheduled despite the bills being stalled for over a year.
• The filibuster has blocked dozens of bills, including voting rights legislation, in recent years.
• The US Senate has a 60-vote threshold to pass most legislation, a level that has been criticized for being too high for important issues like voting rights.

Sources:

• "Black Voters Matter (@BlackVotersMtr) Twitter post: @BlackVotersMtr - January 10, 2022"
• "Biden to visit Atlanta to call for voting rights legislation: 'The next few days, when these bills come to a vote, will mark a turning point in this nation.'" - The Guardian
• "Georgia activists warn Biden against a 'photo-op' visit that lacks voting rights plan" - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution