Senate GOP blocks voting rights bill

Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a sweeping bill to overhaul federal elections, ratcheting up already inflamed tensions over voting rights.

Senators voted 50-50 in the evenly divided Senate on advancing the For the People Act, splitting along party lines and failing to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a GOP filibuster.

The vote is the culmination of weeks of partisan rancor and behind-the-scenes talks over changing the nation’s voting laws in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.