Activists from all over the U.S. gathered in the nation’s Capitol on Thursday after Senate Republicans blocked the For The People Act, a sweeping voting rights bill.

“How can we have an honest conversation about many of the issues plaguing our country without even allowing debate,” said a speaker at the protest.

The message of protesters is clear: the filibuster has got to go. 

The filibuster is a long standing practice used to delay proposed laws from being voted on.

“For far too long we’ve left the filibuster to block things like civil rights before, like voter rights, block things like DC statehood and right now is the opportunity to call it out as a country,” said a protester. 

Democrats continue to face pressure to abolish the filibuster to push legislation like the For The People act. But without the votes to do so, the path is unclear.