ELI5 - Filibuster

What is a filibuster and why does it exist?

Imagine a big classroom where kids are trying to decide on a rule, like when recess should be. To make a rule, most kids have to agree. But there is one special kid rule. Any kid is allowed to keep talking and talking so the class cannot vote yet.

That is what a filibuster is, but in government.

A filibuster happens in the United States Senate. The Senate is one part of Congress. Senators meet there to talk about new laws and decide if they should pass or not. Normally, they debate for a while and then vote. A simple majority can pass many things. A filibuster is when one senator, or a group of senators, tries to delay or block a vote by refusing to stop debate. In the old days, this meant literally standing up and talking for hours. Sometimes they talked all night. Sometimes they read books or phone books. As long as they were talking, the Senate could not move on to the vote.

The idea behind a filibuster is protection. It lets a smaller group slow things down if they believe a law is harmful or rushed. It forces the Senate to stop and listen longer. Supporters say this helps prevent bad laws from passing too quickly. Today, a filibuster usually works in a quieter way. Senators do not have to talk nonstop anymore. They just say they will filibuster. When that happens, the Senate usually needs a special vote to end debate. This is called cloture. To pass cloture, 60 out of 100 senators must agree. If they cannot get 60 votes, the bill is usually stuck and does not move forward. This means the filibuster gives a lot of power to the minority party. Even if most senators support a bill, it can still fail if they do not reach 60 votes. That is why the filibuster is often in the news. Some people think the filibuster is good because it encourages compromise and careful thinking. Others think it is bad because it makes it too hard to pass laws, even popular ones.

So in simple terms, a filibuster is a way to slow down or stop a law by keeping the debate going. It is like refusing to stop talking so no one can take a vote yet.