The Senate Rules Committee Tuesday evening advanced S.1, Democrats’ sweeping election overhaul bill, to a full floor vote over unanimous Republican objections.
The bill’s …
The Senate Rules Committee Tuesday evening advanced S.1, Democrats’ sweeping election overhaul bill, to a full floor vote over unanimous Republican objections. The bill’s advance followed a marathon markup session led by Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar that featured dozens of amendments offered by both Democrats and Republicans. Unlike most legislative markups, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also testified for and against the bill, respectively. Though the legislation, formally known as the For the People Act, was not technically reported out of committee since the vote was tied 9-9 along party lines, Schumer still has the power to bring it to the Senate floor for a four-hour debate under Senate rules. If signed into law it would mandate nationwide same-day registration, no-excuse absentee voting and anti-gerrymandering measures, legalize ballot harvesting and more. Ahead of the amendments offered, Schumer said that the bill was needed to safeguard against an array of election reform bills that Republicans have passed in multiple states across the country. “In the wake of the 2020 elections, deemed the most secure in American history of the previous administration, former President Trump told a lie, a big lie, that the election was stolen,” Schumer said. “In states across the country, Republican legislatures seized on the big lie to restrict the franchise.” “They are reprehensible in my judgement… and they carry the stench of oppression,” Schumer added, warning Republicans to “think twice” about their opposition to Democrats’ bill and support of election bills seen in numerous states.
