US Senate Republicans Just Killed a Bill That Would Have Made It Illegal to Ban Giving Water to Voters Waiting in Line

All nine Republicans on the U.S. Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday killed an amendment by Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff that would make it illegal for states to ban volunteers from giving water to voters waiting in line. Sen. Ossoff’s home state of Georgia passed a law making it illegal to give water to voters waiting in line. That law was signed by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp.

Every Senate Republican on Rules Committee just voted against an amendment by @ossoff to the For the People Act that would’ve allowed volunteers to give water to voters waiting in line

— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) May 11, 2021

“This is about decency — basic decency,” Ossoff said in a press conference announcing the amendment, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. “This is about the health and well-being of a senior citizen who’s being made to wait six hours in line to vote and allowing a volunteer to hand that senior citizen a bottle of water without facing up to a year in jail.”

The Republicans voting against water are: Ranking Member Roy Blunt (MO), Mitch McConnell (KY), Richard Shelby (AL), Ted Cruz (TX), Shelley Moore Capito (WV), Roger Wicker (MS), Deb Fischer (NE), Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS), and Bill Hagerty (TN).

Watch as the Republicans kill the water for voters amendment:

All 9 Republican senators vote against Sen. Ossoff’s amendment that would prohibit states from placing restrictions on volunteers’ ability to offer food or water to voters waiting in line pic.twitter.com/hseQCAdeA0

— The Hill (@thehill) May 11, 2021