WASHINGTON (AP) – House Democrats have passed comprehensive voting and ethics legislation over unanimous Republican opposition, which continues to the Senate which would be the biggest overhaul of U.S. election law in at least a generation.
House resolution 1, which touches on virtually every aspect of the election process, was approved Wednesday by an almost party 220-210 vote. This will limit biased driving of congressional districts, removing barriers to voting and providing transparency in a murky campaign funding system that enables wealthy donors to regulate political affairs anonymously.
The bill is a powerful counterweight to the restrictions on voting rights that are advancing in Republican-controlled state houses across the country in the wake of Donald Trump’s repeated false allegations of a stolen election in 2020. Yet it faces an uncertain fate in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where it has little chance of succeeding without changes to procedural rules that currently allow Republicans to block it.
The importance of the outcome is monumental, which brings with it the fundamental idea that one person is equal to one vote and the potential to shape the election outcomes for the coming year. It also provides a test of how hard President Joe Biden and his party are prepared to fight for their priorities, as well as those of their constituents.
This bill ‘will put an end to the oppression of the voters we are currently discussing,’ Rep. Nikema Williams, a new congressman representing the Georgia district who passed away John Lewis for years. “This bill is the ‘good problem’ he has fought all his life. ‘
For Republicans, however, it would give a license for unwanted federal interference in the authority of states to hold their own elections – which ultimately benefits Democrats through higher turnout, especially among minorities.
“Democrats want to use their razor-sharp majority not to pass bills to earn voters’ trust, but to ensure they do not lose more seats in the next election,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday. said.
The measure has been a priority for the Democrats since they won their majority in the House in 2018. But it added urgency in the wake of Trump’s false allegations., which fueled the deadly storm of the American Capitol in January.
Courts and even Trump’s last attorney general, William Barr, have ruled that his election allegations are without merit. But, fueled by these lies, lawmakers across the U.S. have filed more than 200 bills in 43 states that would restrict access to the ballot, according to a report by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University.
In Iowa, the legislature voted to cut off the person’s absence and early voting, while local election officials are prevented from setting up additional seats to facilitate early voting. In Georgia, the House voted Monday to pass legislation requiring identification by mail it will also allow counties to cancel early personal voting on Sundays, when many black voters vote for church.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court stood ready to uphold the restrictions on voting rights in Arizona, which could make it more difficult to challenge state election laws in the future.
Asked why proponents are trying to enforce Arizona laws, which would limit the absentee ballots and allow votes to be cast if cast in the wrong neighborhood, a Republican advocate of the state incredibly clear.
“Because it gives us a competitive edge over the Democrats,” said attorney Michael Carvin. “Politics is a zero-sum game.”
Battle lines are quickly being drawn by outsiders who plan to spend millions of dollars on advertising and outreach campaigns.
Republicans “are not even going for it. They say the ‘quiet parts’ out loud, “said Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United, a left-wing group that seeks to curb the influence of corporate money in politics. Her organization has launched a $ 10 million effort “For them, it is not about protecting our democracy or protecting our election. It is about pure partisan political gain.”
Conservatives, meanwhile, are mobilizing a $ 5 million pressure campaign, urging moderate Democrats in the Senate to resist the rule needed to pass the measure.
“HR 1 is not about making the election better,” said Ken Cuccinelli, a former Trump administration official. “It simply came to our notice then. It is meant to make the election dirty. ”
What exactly is in the bill?
HR 1 requires states to automatically register voters as well as offer same-day registration. This would limit the ability of states to remove registered voters from their roles and restore the voting rights of former criminals. Among dozens of other provisions, it would also require states to present 15 days of early voting and be allowed to vote without apology without voting.
On the point of a one-time redesign of the district boundaries of Congress, usually a fiercely biased issue, the bill would instruct non-partisan commissions to handle the process instead of state legislators.
Many Republican opponents in Congress have focused on narrower aspects, such as the creation of a public funding system for congressional campaigns that would be funded by fines and proceeds from direct funding.
They also attacked an attempt to overhaul the federal government’s toothless election man. The agency, the Federal Electoral Commission, has been caught dead by partisan stalemate for years, leaving campaign campaigners mostly unnoticed.
Another division that has remained in the Republics’ attention would force the disclosure of donors to political groups of ‘dark money’, which is a magnet for prosperous interests that want to influence the political process while remaining anonymous.
The biggest obstacles still lie ahead in the Senate, which is split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats.
On some legislation, only 51 votes are needed to accept the vote, with Vice President Kamala Harris as the breakaway official. On a deeply divisive bill like this, they would need 60 votes under Senate rules to overcome a Republican filibuster – a vote they are unlikely to reach.
Some Democrats have discussed options, such as lowering the threshold for breaking a filibuster, or creating a solution that could exempt priority legislation, including a separate John Lewis ballot law. Biden was kind about the filibuster reforms, and Democratic congressmen say the talks are smooth but ongoing.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did not commit himself to a time frame, but promised to “figure out the best way to get big and daring actions on a whole bunch of fronts.”
He said: ‘We are not going to be the legislative cemetery. … People will be forced to vote on them, yes or no, on a whole bunch of very important and serious issues. ‘
___
AP Congress correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.