In A Furious Address, Biden Calls For A Reform Of US Election Laws.
As part of his effort to revamp the country's election procedures, US President Joe Biden has called for a historic change to Senate rules.
He stated he backed adjustments that would allow his voting reforms to pass without the cooperation of opposition Republicans in an impassioned speech.
His initiatives are being hampered by reservations from two senators in his own party, and no Republicans have backed them.
In order to approve most bills in the Senate, a 60 percent majority is required.
And, with the upper body of Congress split 50-50 between the two parties, Mr Biden's comprehensive election legislation is nearly certain to fail unless that provision is changed.
Analysts think such a shift is unlikely since it would require the approval of every Democrat in the Senate, as well as the vice president's tie-breaking vote.
Last year, the lower house, the House of Representatives, enacted the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
The former would replace the existing patchwork of state-by-state voting regulations with a set of national voting rules. Meanwhile, the John Lewis Act would force certain states to seek approval from the federal government before making any changes to election laws.
"I favor amending the Senate rules, in whatever way they need to be modified, to prevent a minority of senators from blocking action on voting rights to defend our democracy," the president said in a speech.