As Congress debates the future of the For the People Act, a sweeping voting rights bill championed by Democrats, a pair of bipartisan Senators are urging Congressional leadership to take action to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act.

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and moderate Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia penned a letter to the four corners of Congressional leadership — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — in an attempt to show that there is bipartisan support to advance voting rights.

“Protecting Americans’ access to democracy has not been a partisan issue for the past 56 years, and we must not allow it to become one now,” they wrote, noting that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was amended five times with bipartisan support.

“Inaction is not an option,” they continued. “Congress must come together – just as we have done time and again – to reaffirm our longstanding bipartisan commitment to free, accessible, and secure elections for all.”

Congress most recently reauthorized the Voting Rights Act in 2006, but the Supreme Court gutted one of the law’s key provisions in the 2013 ruling in Shelby v. Holder, which required certain states and local areas obtain clearance from the federal government to make changes to their election rules before implementing them. The nation’s highest court determined that the coverage formula for preclearance was out of date, striking the rule down in a 5-4 decision.

The news comes as Manchin faces criticism from some in his party for being the only Senate Democrat to not co-sponsor the For the People Act.

“I’m not supporting that the way it is. I think it’s too darn broad and we have no bipartisan support,” Manchin told reporters last week. “The country is more divided today than it's ever been.”

It is not yet clear whether or not reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act has enough support to beat the 60-vote threshold to beat the Senate filibuster, which would require the support of 9 GOP Senators in addition to Murkowski. 

The Alaska Republican was the only GOP Senator to co-sponsor the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in the last Congress, named after the late Georgia Congressman and voting rights activist.