The voting bill was completely blocked along party lines.

On Wednesday night, the Democrats of the United States Senate brought forth the Freedom to Vote Act, a new bill full of provisions that would make the process of election voting easier in the United States. If passed into law, the bill would automatically register all Americans to vote when they come of age, earmark at least 15 days of early voting prior to federal elections, and make Election Day a public holiday.

Senate Republicans block the "Freedom to Vote Act," which would have created automatic voter registration, made Election Day a public holiday and provided at least 15 days of early voting for federal elections https://t.co/XtQBXzNNo0

— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) October 20, 2021

Unfortunately, the bill seems to be dead on arrival. As they signaled prior to the Senate session, Senate Republicans voted unanimously against the bill, with the final vote coming to 49-51. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer changed his vote to no at the last second to ensure the bill could be reworked and returned to the table at a later date.

.@MaddowBlog: The Freedom to Vote Act was a compromise plan designed to garner bipartisan support. Literally every Senate Republican rejected it anyway.https://t.co/0VV4UfZHFE

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 20, 2021

The push for revamped national voting standards has come amidst multiple, primarily Republican-run states such as Texas implementing stricter voting restrictions. These restrictions include bans on drive-through voting, heavier limitations on mail-in ballots, and a reduction of early voting hours. Critics have noted that these changes disproportionately affect lower income and minority neighborhoods, the residents of which often have difficulties finding time to visit polls and vote traditionally.