I am writing to ask that Sen. Susan Collins and Sen. Angus King vote to end, or at least reform, the overused and abused filibuster, which has become a tool for the minority to obstruct the will of the majority.

The requirement that a supermajority of 60 votes is necessary to pass any legislation is not what our Founding Fathers envisioned. This parliamentary procedure has become a roadblock to the will of the people. It is long past time that we eliminate it – or, at the minimum, return it to its original form, where it is required that the sponsor of the filibuster stand in the well of the Senate and provide their rationale for using such an extreme measure to block the majority from voting. Once the sponsor of the filibuster is done speaking, then the Senate is allowed to vote on the given legislation.

The present form of the filibuster requires only an email be sent by any one senator, stating he or she is implementing the filibuster to prevent any given bill from coming to the floor. This has resulted in extreme partisanship and gridlock.

The filibuster in its present form has become tyranny of the majority by the minority, and if that’s not undemocratic, then what is?

Frank D’Agostino
Harpswell

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