A Republican filibuster blocked a voting rights bill championed by Democrats from going forward in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday. 

The filibuster has been part of an established playbook for stalling civil rights legislation in the U.S. since the 1920s, yet American lawmakers are divided on changing Senate filibuster rules. So, what exactly is a filibuster?

The voting rights bill was blocked in the U.S. Senate, with every Senate Republican voting against moving the bill forward. 

Without the majority of 60 votes, the Senate Democrats need to overcome the filibuster, the bill could not move forward.The Democrats tried to change the Senate procedure to allow a simple majority(51) to advance the bill. 

The rules change was rejected 52-48, with Senate Democrats Manchin and Sinema joining the Republicans in opposition.Both Manchin and Sinema say they support the legislation. 

Manchin is open to a more tailored package of voting law changes. Sinema said the outcome will not end the work to protect democracy but she warned "these challenges cannot be solved by one party or Washington alone.”

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