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U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks with reporters following the Senate Democrats’ weekly political lunch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, United States, June 15, 2021. REUTERS / Evelyn Hockstein
WASHINGTON, June 21 (Reuters) – Democrats in the U.S. Senate this week will attempt to push forward legislation setting new national electoral standards, seeking to counter the voting rights rollbacks Republican legislatures are pursuing across the country.
Senate Democrats spent the weekend trying to finalize a bill that could win the support of the 50 Democrats and Independents in the 100-member House, even though Republicans have shown no sign of joining a an effort that would expand postal voting and change the way congressional districts are drawn in an effort to prevent them from being designed along partisan lines.
If the Democrats’ efforts fail this week and no further negotiations succeed, it could allow restrictive new voting rules in some Republican-led states to hold, unless they are overturned in court challenges. .
But it could also embolden Democrats to try to remove or change the Senate’s long-standing “filibuster” rule requiring 60 votes to advance most laws. Such a move could leave Republicans powerless if the 48 Democrats and two Senate independents stick together, given Vice President Kamala Harris, also a Democrat, has the power to sever 50-50 ties.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has scheduled a procedural vote on Tuesday to allow the Senate to begin debating an electoral reform bill.
“We are working to find a compromise deal with Joe Manchin,” Schumer told reporters on Sunday.
Manchin, a moderate Democratic senator, opposes a broader bill passed by the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives in March and came up with his own ideas for electoral reform last week. Read more
But with Senate Republicans on the verge of declining their support, Schumer is unlikely to get the 60 votes needed to start debate on a bill.
Democratic push for federal voting rights legislation comes as Republican legislatures in politically pivotal states such as Georgia, Florida and Iowa enacted sweeping voting restrictions in the wake of the defeat of former President Donald Trump last November and his unsubstantiated allegations of widespread electoral fraud. Read more
Democrats and voting rights advocates sued state officials over the new laws, claiming they would disproportionately deprive voters of color, which helped propel Democratic President Joe Biden to victory in last november.
‘FEDERAL TAKING OF CONTROL’
Republican lawmakers reiterated their strong opposition to the Democrats’ federal election proposals on Sunday.
Senator Lindsey Graham, interviewed on “Fox News Sunday”, called the bill “the biggest takeover in the history of the country”, while Senator Rob Portman denounced what he called ” a federal takeover of our electoral system “by the states, in an interview with NBC’s” Meet the Press “.
If Schumer can win all of his 50 senators, including Manchin, he can make his point to the country that only Republicans have hampered a debate on voting reform following Trump’s efforts to undo his defeat. electoral.
The 2020 presidential election saw the largest overall turnout in U.S. history as states temporarily opened up voting procedures, such as extended hours for in-person voting and increased postal voting opportunities due to the raging coronavirus pandemic at the time.
Many Republicans are trying to reverse these provisions, citing the need to improve election security. Dozens of judges have dismissed lawsuits alleging voting irregularities, and election officials across the country have said last year’s vote was safe and secure.
Reporting by Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell; Editing by Soyoung Kim and Peter Cooney
Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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