Sen. Murkowski slams Dems over 'show votes' on federal election bills

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, slammed Senate Democrats for pursuing “show votes” on federal election bills on Wednesday as Republicans used the filibuster to block consideration the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

"Let’s stop the show votes. Let’s give ourselves the space to work cooperatively across the aisle to reach the level of consensus that I think is important. It’s important for this issue. It’s important for this country," Murkowski said on the Senate floor. "The goal here should be to avoid a partisan bill, not to take failing votes over and over for political gain. It really doesn’t get us anywhere."

"It gets us on record. It allows you to weaponize, if you will, a critically important issue. It doesn’t go anywhere, it doesn’t serve anyone, it ultimately accomplishes nothing. Our only real option here is to figure out how we’re working together on this," she added.

The vote marked the fourth time that Senate Republicans have successfully filibustered Democrat-backed federal voting rights legislation this year. GOP lawmakers blocked consideration of a separate, more expansive overhaul of federal election law on three separate occasions.