The Senate is set to debate voting rights. Here's what the bills would do

A reflection of the U.S. Capitol on a car window on Jan. 13, 2022, in Washington, D.C., the day President Joe Biden met with Senate Democrats to talk about voting rights legislation.

Canceling a planned recess for this week, the Senate is set to debate two measures on Tuesday that Democrats say would make it easier for all Americans to vote and reverse efforts by several states to limit ballot access.

Versions of both measures, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, have been approved by the House but face an uphill battle in the Senate.

While all senators who caucus with the Democrats have expressed support for these two bills, under current Senate rules it takes 60 senators to end debate and proceed to a vote. That’s not a number likely to be achieved in the evenly divided Senate on an issue that has grown increasingly partisan over the years.