“It’s just a fundamental difference of opinion … people believe we should make it easier to vote,” Klobuchar said. ‘We continue to talk to them to find out if there is a common ground. But at the moment, you see a significant difference between the two parties over the vote. Let’s not sugar coat it. ”
But the suffrage bill is not simply confronting GOP. Unlike immigration, infrastructure or even guns, no senators talk about the passage or any compromise can be reached. The dynamics, coupled with the Democratic outcry to use the voting legislation as a scene for a filibuster showdown, put the already closed Senate on track for a new split on its own rules as well as the structure of US elections.
“I do not think there is a common ground. And on the bigger issue of whether it’s better to federalize the national election process or whether states and local officials should do it for more than 200 years – there are not really many compromises, ‘Blunt said.
When asked about areas to negotiate with Blunt and other Republicans, Klobuchar answers that the Democratic bill contains nine dual provisions. Blunt’s answer: “What then? It means absolutely nothing. ”
The gap between them is painfully clear ahead of the rules panel’s Wednesday hearing on the voting ministry accepted by the House. That comprehensive bill introduces automatic voter registration, increases the financial disclosure requirements for political spending, and creates a public funding system for congressional elections.
Democrats argue that existing legislation before the next round of congressional redeployment and the mid-term 2022 is their only chance to prevent GOP-controlled lawmakers from enacting stricter electoral laws that will limit voter turnout.
“People want to know where people like me fall on the filibuster. I think the bigger question is: where do they fall for voting rights? ‘said Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), who raised the issue Monday night with President Joe Biden. ‘The filibuster is a Senate rule. Voting rights go to the foundation of who we say we are as American people. ”
Even if Klobuchar had made sense and the Senate Democrats killed the filibuster to pass the bill, they still have serious problems. Democrats do not yet have 50 votes in the Senate for the measure because Senator Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) is not committed. He is also against killing the 60-vote threshold for filibusters, which puts the massive reform package at risk of failure.
Manchin said in an interview that he would like to have two-way talks on voting rights, adding that it makes no sense to start negotiations on a bill that divides the two parties so clearly.
‘There are a lot of things that I think are great in the bill. A lot of things, “Manchin said. And we’re going to work on it. ”
He is perhaps the only person in the Senate who thinks a serious negotiation is possible. If you talk to senators about cooperation from previous parties on voting issues, they will probably name Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.), Who worked on the security of the election during the office of former President Donald Trump.
But Lankford said the Democrats ‘current proposal’ is not a serious attempt to address election safety and provides an opportunity for every person to vote. This is really the vehicle to try and break the filibuster. ”
“They’re just saying, ‘Racist Republicans are trying to suppress the vote, so we need to do this 800-page bill,'” Lankford said, recalling previous productive talks with Klobuchar on the integrity of the election. Democrats argue that ” if we do not break the filibuster, we will lose democracy, ‘he said.
In fact, it is not far from the Democratic message. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Put it simply: “There are some reforms that Republicans may accept, but attacking the oppression of the electorate is not on their agenda.”
House Democrats are not dancing around their desire to move the suffrage bill past the filibuster.
“I’m all for two parties, and the filibuster can certainly be seen as a mechanism that promotes, encourages, empowers two parties,” said Rep. Anthony Brown (MD) said. “But if there is a tool designed primarily during the Jim Crow era to prevent a lot of anti-discrimination and civil rights legislation, I think it deserves a second look.”
The political paralysis that plagues the Democrats’ suffrage proposal comes with new questions about its practical operation before the Senate. Some election administrators and experts have expressed concern about some provisions of the voting system in the bill, even though they support the ethos and purpose of the overall legislation.
“The devil is in the details,” said one Democratic secretary of state. ‘Those who support us for the principle of [the broader bill], we want to work closely with Congress to make sure that states with many accessible electoral systems are in place, that they are protected, that they are not inadvertently changed. ‘
Aid workers who worked on the suffrage bill said the concerns of election administrators would be addressed later in the process. But it only works if the account goes through a process.
At present, it appears that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will later bring the legislation into question only to face a wall of GOP opposition. As written, it seems unlikely that the suffrage package will get a single Republican supporter and that it will strike on the Senate floor as soon as it comes up.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said “there is an understandable hesitation on the part of Republicans” over a bill that would “essentially federalize decisions made at the state level.” Blunt said some of his GOP colleagues pushed the idea of a Republican alternative to the bill, which Democrats called the “For the People Act.” ‘Blunt, however, does not support the approach, citing the history of states holding their own elections.
And despite its reputation as a dual compromise, Klobuchar is also not keen on giving ground at the moment.
“We like to work with them on things. But they have drawn a line in the sand that they do not want to see any changes where there are clear attempts to oppress voters, as acknowledged by the courts, “she said.” The people are on our side. It includes a a lot of Republican voters who do not want the right to vote by mail. ”
Zach Montellaro and Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.