House Democrats late Tuesday passed a voting bill that sought to amend parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act in efforts to boost federal control over elections in the United States. The John L. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021, also known as HR4, passed the lower chamber of Congress by a vote of 219–212 strictly along party lines, with no Republicans in favor of the measure. The measure was previously passed by the House in 2019, but it died after it was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Democrats on Aug. 17 this year reintroduced the bill, named after the late Georgia Rep. John Lewis who died in July 2020. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), the sponsor of HR4, said on Aug. 17 that “old battles have become new again,” that “federal oversight is urgently needed” over the right to vote, and Democrats are “standing up and fighting back.” Its passage was praised by President …