Biden appoints Harris to lead voting rights reform, get Democrats' bills passed in Senate

President Biden has appointed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the administration's efforts to help fellow Democrats get their voting-rights reform measure passed in the closely divided Senate.

Biden announced the appointment Tuesday in a speech in Oklahoma commemorating the anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, saying voting reform would "address what remains on the stained soul of America," according to NBC News.

The voting reform bill passed in the Democrat-controlled House but will have difficulty passing in the Senate, which is evently divided with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, with Harris having the tie-breaker vote.

"In the days and weeks ahead, I will engage the American people, and I will work with voting rights organizations, community organizations, and the private sector to help strengthen and uplift efforts on voting rights nationwide," Harris said in a statement Tuesday.

"We will also work with members of Congress to help advance these bills," she also said.