Loading the public record
Loading the public record
Where They Stand is a nonpartisan guide to everyone running for Congress: their money, their own words and how incumbents voted. Find your ballot →
All recent votes117th CongressSenate
This bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices may take effect. Preclearance is the process of receiving preapproval from the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before making legal changes that would affect voting rights.
The bill also includes provisions related to federally protected activities at polling places and voting access on tribal lands.
A state and all of its political subdivisions shall be subject to preclearance of voting practice changes for a 10-year period if
A political subdivision as a separate unit shall also be subject to preclearance for a 10-year period if three or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years.
States and political subdivisions that meet certain thresholds regarding minority groups must preclear covered practices before implementation, such as changes to methods of election and redistricting.
Further, states and political subdivisions must notify the public of changes to voting practices.
Next, the bill authorizes DOJ to require states or political subdivisions to provide certain documents or answers to questions for enforcing voting rights.
The bill also outlines factors courts must consider when hearing challenges to voting practices, such as the history of official voting discrimination in the state or political subdivision.
In addition, the bill (1) includes certain protections for election workers, polling places, and election infrastructure; and (2) expands voting access on tribal lands.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, describing S. 4 as introduced in Senate on Oct 5, 2021. It is not the text of the measure; a later amendment may have changed what it does.
Senate Nov 3, 2021
Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to S. 4
Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected
50 Yea 49 Nay 1 not voting
Party-line vote 2 of 99 voting members broke with their own party: 1 Democrat, 1 Republican.
DemocratsIndependentsRepublicansFilled: YeaRing: NayGrey: not voting or present
100 members on this roll call, from the official Senate record. Party majorities need at least five voting members, so an independent never counts as breaking with a party.
Signing on is not a vote: a member can cosponsor S. 4 and vote against it. 48 signed when it was filed.
Organizations that named S. 4 in a lobbying disclosure. Only those that cited the bill by number appear, so this is a floor, not a full list.
78 disclosures name this measure. Retrieved from LDA.gov on 2026-10-05. Senate Office of Public Records cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from LDA.gov.