The Martha's Vineyard Times To the Editor: The filibuster is the procedure used to block or stop debate in the Senate on particular bills by debating them at length. We are now hearing much more about the filibuster during the Biden administration, as many believe Mitch McConnell will use the filibuster to stonewall any of the Democrats’ legislation from coming to the floor. When first introduced, the “talking” filibuster captured Americans’ attention because a senator had to actually take to the floor and talk nonstop. Since 1975, however, the talking filibuster gave way to the “virtual” filibuster, where a senator simply has to indicate opposition to a bill, not talking or reading, to stop debate and trigger a 60-vote threshold rather than a simple majority vote.