WASHINGTON •A bill aimed at thwarting restrictive new voting laws enacted in Republican-led states failed to advance in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, as Republican lawmakers blocked a Democratic effort to begin debating the measure.

It was the third time this year Senate Democrats tried to advance a voting rights bill in reaction to new state balloting restrictions that were fueled by Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen 2020 presidential election.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said it would not be the last time.

“The fight to protect our democracy is far from over,” he said.

While he did not lay out specific steps to possibly alter the Senate’s “filibuster” rule that gives the minority party the power to block legislation, he hinted at doing so.

He complained that Wednesday’s vote was “not how the Senate is supposed to work,” adding: “Voting rights is not like other issues we deal with in this chamber. It’s about protecting the very soul of this nation.”

Some senators have been urging a carve-out to exempt the voting rights bill from the filibuster, which requires 60 of 100 senators to agree on most legislation.

All 50 Senate Republicans voted to block the measure, with party leaders saying it was an attempt to wrest control of voting rules from the states.

The bill would set broad federal standards for how states conduct elections, including ensuring all qualified voters can request mail-in ballots.

It also aims to expand voter turnout by making Election Day a federal holiday and would outlaw partisan drawing of congressional districts, known as “gerrymandering,” that both parties have engaged in for decades.

On Tuesday, Senator Angus King, an independent who aligns with Democrats, told reporters that if Republicans again blocked the bill, “we would either have to figure out a rule change or we have to try to have discussions toward a compromise solution.”