Democratic Voting Bill Would Make Biggest Changes in Decades

March 1, 2021by Brian Slodysko, Associated Press
Democratic Voting Bill Would Make Biggest Changes in Decades
A bicyclist stops to admire the red, white and blue lights illuminating San Francisco City Hall in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, Nov. 6, 2020. Congress is beginning debate on the biggest overhaul of U.S. elections law in a generation. Legislation from Democrats would touch virtually every aspect of the electoral process — striking down hurdles to voting, curbing partisan gerrymandering and curtailing big money in politics. Republicans see those very measures as a threat that would limit the power of states to conduct elections and ultimately benefit Democrats. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP, file)

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Congress begins debate this week on sweeping voting and ethics legislation, Democrats and Republicans can agree on one thing: If signed into law, it would usher in the biggest overhaul of U.S. elections law in at least a generation. 

House Resolution 1, Democrats’ 791-page bill, would touch virtually every aspect of the electoral process — striking down hurdles to voting erected in the name of election security, curbing partisan gerrymandering and curtailing the influence of big money in politics.  

Republicans see those very measures as threats that would both limit the power of states to conduct elections and ultimately benefit Democrats, notably with higher turnout among minority voters. 

The stakes are prodigious, with control of Congress and the fate of President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda in the balance. But at its core, a more foundational principle of American democracy is at play: access to the ballot. 

“This goes above partisan interests. The vote is at the heart of our democratic system of government,” said Fred Wertheimer, president of the nonpartisan good government organization Democracy 21. “That’s the battleground. And everyone knows it.”  

Barriers to voting are as old as the country, but in more recent history they have come in the form of voter ID laws and other restrictions that are up for debate in statehouses across the country. 

Rep. John Sarbanes, a Maryland Democrat who sponsored the bill, said that outside of Congress “these aren’t controversial reforms.” Much of it, he noted, was derived from recommendations of a bipartisan commission. 

Yet to many Republicans, it amounts to an unwarranted federal intrusion into a process that states should control.  

Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., excoriated the measure during a House hearing last week as “800 pages of election mandates and free speech regulations” that poses a “threat to democracy” and would “weaken voter confidence” in elections. 

Citing Congress’ constitutional authority over federal elections, Democrats say national rules are needed to make voting more uniform, accessible and fair. The bill would mandate early voting, same-day registration and other long-sought changes that Republicans reject. 

It would also require so-called dark money political groups to disclose anonymous donors, create reporting requirements for online political ads and appropriate nearly $2 billion for election infrastructure upgrades. Future presidents would be obligated to disclose their tax returns, which former President Donald Trump refused to do. 

Debate over the bill comes at a critical moment, particularly for Democrats.  

Acting on Trump’s repeated false claims of a stolen election, dozens of Republican-controlled state legislatures are pushing bills that would make it more difficult to vote. Democrats argue this would disproportionately hit low-income voters, or those of color, who are critical constituencies for their party.  

The U.S. is also on the cusp of a once-in-a-decade redrawing of congressional districts, a highly partisan affair that is typically controlled by state legislatures. With Republicans controlling the majority of statehouses the process alone could help the GOP win enough seats to recapture the House. 

Previous debates over voting rights have often been esoteric and complex, with much of the debate in Congress focused on whether to restore a “preclearance” process in the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court invalidated in 2013. For decades, it had required certain states and jurisdictions with large minority populations and a history of discrimination to get federal approval for any changes to voting procedures.  

But Republicans say that Trump’s repeated attacks on the 2020 election have electrified his supporters, even as courts and his last attorney general, William Barr, found them without merit.  

“This is now a base issue,” said Ken Cuccinelli, a former Virginia attorney general and Trump administration official in the Department of Homeland Security who is leading a conservative coalition opposed to the bill. “Democratic leadership is willing to sacrifice their own members to pass radical legislation. They are cannon fodder that Nancy Pelosi doesn’t care about.” 

Democrats say their aim is to make it easier for more people to vote, regardless of partisan affiliation. And they counter that Republican objections are based more in preserving their own power by hindering minorities from voting than a principled opposition.  

“The anti-democratic forces in the Republican Party have focused their energy on peddling unwarranted and expensive voter restriction measures,” said Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost her 2018 Georgia bid to become the first Black female governor in U.S. history. “We all have a right to take our seat at the table and our place at the ballot box.”  

The bill was an object of intense focus at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, over the weekend, a gathering where Trump’s lies about mass election fraud took center stage. 

In a speech Sunday, Trump branded the bill as “a disaster” and a “monster” that “cannot be allowed to pass.” 

Meanwhile, CPAC organizer Matt Schlapp told attendees that if they could internalize one thing from this year’s conference, it was to “do all you can” to stop “this unconstitutional power grab” from becoming law.  

“What we saw this election will be what you will see every single election. And we have to fight it,” Schlapp warned ominously.  

Trump and his allies have made false claims that the 2020 election was marred by widespread voter fraud. But dozens of legal challenges they put forth were dismissed, including by the Supreme Court. 

Ultimately, though, the biggest obstacle Democrats face in passing the bill is themselves.  

Despite staunch GOP opposition, the bill is all but certain to pass the House when it’s scheduled for a floor vote Wednesday. But challenges lay ahead in the Senate, which is split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats. 

On some legislation, it takes only 51 votes to pass, with Vice President Kamala Harris as the tiebreaker. On a deeply divisive bill like this one, they would need 60 votes under the Senate’s rules to overcome a Republican filibuster — a tally they are unlikely to reach. 

Some have discussed options like lowering the threshold to break a filibuster, or creating a workaround that would allow some legislation to be exempt. Democratic congressional aides say the conversations are fluid, but underway.  

Many in the party remain hopeful, and Biden’s administration has said the bill is a priority. But the window to pass legislation before the 2022 midterms is closing.  

“We may not get the opportunity to make this change again for many, many decades,” said Sarbanes, the bill’s lead sponsor. “Shame on us if we don’t get this done.” 

___ 

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in Orlando, Florida, contributed to this report. 

A+
a-
  • Congress
  • Democrats
  • elections
  • electoral process
  • House of Representatives
  • Joe Biden
  • voting
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Elections

    Republican Vince Fong Advances to Runoff to Complete Term of ex-House Speaker McCarthy

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Republican state Legislator Vince Fong advanced to a May election in California to decide who will... Read More

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Republican state Legislator Vince Fong advanced to a May election in California to decide who will complete the remainder of the term of deposed former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which runs through January. It was not yet clear Tuesday night who will... Read More

    Tuesday's Primaries Include Key Senate Race in Ohio and Clues for Biden-Trump Rematch

    NEW YORK (AP) — Five states will hold presidential primaries on Tuesday as President Joe Biden and former President Donald... Read More

    NEW YORK (AP) — Five states will hold presidential primaries on Tuesday as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump continue to lock up support around the country after becoming their parties’ presumptive nominees. Trump is expected to easily win GOP primaries in Arizona, Florida, Illinois,... Read More

    Climate, a Major Separator for Biden and Trump, Is a Dividing Line in Many Other Races

    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The race for the White House isn’t the only one with big stakes for climate policy.... Read More

    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The race for the White House isn’t the only one with big stakes for climate policy. In campaigns for Congress and for governor around the country, candidates are talking about how green the grid should be, too. Voters are increasingly feeling the impacts... Read More

    Fake Images Made to Show Trump With Black Supporters Highlight Concerns Around AI and Elections

    WASHINGTON (AP) — At first glance, images circulating online showing former President Donald Trump surrounded by groups of Black people... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — At first glance, images circulating online showing former President Donald Trump surrounded by groups of Black people smiling and laughing seem nothing out of the ordinary, but a look closer is telling. Odd lighting and too-perfect details provide clues to the fact they... Read More

    February 29, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    White House Steps Up Effort to Get Voting Information to the Public

    WASHINGTON — Emails, new signage and three “national days of action” are all part of a stepped up effort by... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Emails, new signage and three “national days of action” are all part of a stepped up effort by the Biden-Harris administration to ensure voters know their rights and are able to participate in 2024 elections. The initiatives are part of the administration’s ongoing effort... Read More

    February 29, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Cornel West Secures Spot on South Carolina Ballot for November

    CHARLESTON, S.C. — Dr. Cornel West, who is waging an independent campaign for the presidency under the banner of his... Read More

    CHARLESTON, S.C. — Dr. Cornel West, who is waging an independent campaign for the presidency under the banner of his Justice for All Party, has secured a spot on the November ballot in South Carolina. West, the Dietrich Bonhoeffer professor of Philosophy and Christian practice at... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top