By Jarrett Renshaw

(Reuters) – U.S. president Joe Biden is expected to rallies Senate Democrats during a meeting at Capitol, Thursday. The purpose of this gathering will be to change and unify the rules for the passage of voting-rights legislation.

Biden, along with most Democrats, have increased their effort to pass voter-rights legislation. After having spent much of his first term debating spending bills which focused on COVID-19 relief as well as infrastructure and the social safety net program programs, Biden has now joined other Democrats in stepping up this campaign.

Democrats see the voting rights bills as a last chance to counter new voting restrictions in Republican-controlled states ahead of the Nov. 8 congressional elections, when they run the risk of losing their narrow majorities in at least one chamber.

Obama, a former Democratic president, wrote Thursday in USA Today that Senate’s “filibuster”, which requires 60 out of 100 senators agree on the most legislation, is now a common way for the chamber’s minorities to block significant progress on issues supported overwhelmingly by voters.

“We can’t allow it to be used to block efforts to protect our democracy. That’s why I fully support President Joe Biden’s call to modify Senate rules as necessary to make sure pending voting rights legislation gets called for a vote,” Obama wrote.

Democrats still hold 50 seats but are split on how to circumvent the restrictions.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-meet-with-senate-democrats-voting-rights-thursday-aide-2022-01-12 outlined a strategy to ensure a Senate floor debate on voting rights, after three separate attempts last year were stymied by Republicans.

According to the plan, two election-related bills will be consolidated by the House of Representatives and merged into one. The House of Representatives would then vote on the bill. This would allow Republicans to block debate and send it on to the Senate.

He said that if Republicans continue to oppose the bill, it would fail to pass the Senate, even if all Democrats agreed to amend the filibuster. A minimum of two Democrats oppose a change to the rule.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reaffirmed Wednesday that Republicans opposed voting-rights legislation, and modifications to the filibuster.

McConnell also criticised Biden’s speech Tuesday in Atlanta calling for an overhaul to the filibuster, which would allow voting rights bills to be passed. He called it “incoherent and incorrect”

Numerous bills have been passed in 19 US states by Republican lawmakers making it difficult for voters to cast their ballots.

John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and Freedom to Vote Act would together make Election Day a holiday. It will also increase access to mail-in vote and improve U.S. Justice Department surveillance of election jurisdictions in areas with history of discrimination.