Senate Panel to Weigh Democrats' Election Overhaul

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Source: New York Times

A key Senate committee is expected to vote as soon as Tuesday to advance Democrats’ sweeping elections overhaul, stamping its approval on a landmark voting rights expansion as Washington tries to blunt ballot restrictions by Republican-controlled statehouses.

The debate and anticipated vote in the Senate Rules Committee are a significant milestone for liberals who have made the bill, H.R. 1, their top legislative priority. If enacted, it would effectively override laws emerging in states like Georgia and Florida that raise barriers to vote with national requirements — like automatic voter registration, no-excuse early and mail-in voting and the re-enfranchisement of former felons — meant to lower them.

But any victory this week may be fleeting. With Republicans digging in to oppose the 800-page bill and even some Democrats expressing reservations about its approach, the path to passage on an evenly divided Senate floor is anything but clear. (The bill already passed the House.)

In the short term, Democratic leaders plan to crank up pressure on Republicans to bring them to the negotiating table. They intend to offer a series of amendments during a committee debate meant to stoke political outrage over Republicans’ attempts to curtail voting, including one by Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia that would overturn his state’s ban on offering snacks or water to voters stuck in long lines.



Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/senate-panel-to-weigh-democrats-election-overhaul/ar-BB1gBNZU?li=BBnb7Kz

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Good luck getting this passed with Moscow Mitch and other Trump fluffers able to stall things. They only want quality votes./s

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1. Schumer vs. McConnell: A side-by-side duel over Dems' election bill

The typically staid Senate Rules Committee hosted a rare dramatic showdown on Tuesday: the majority leader versus the minority leader, sparring over Democrats’ expansive election and ethics bill.

In dueling remarks, Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell each accused the other’s party of trying to weaponize voting laws to expand its political power. They often clash indirectly on the floor, but the Schumer-and-McConnell show on Tuesday served as a preview of a forthcoming floor fight as Democrats push forward on the elections bill they've given the symbolically meaningful number of S. 1.

The legislation is a top priority for the party, particularly its progressive base. Democrats say they must act soon to rein in laws pushed by GOP-controlled state legislatures they warn are designed to disenfranchise voters. But the sprawling proposal that the committee took up on Tuesday also faces significant pushback, from state election officials to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) — whose vote is a must-have.

Schumer used his testimony to raise the stakes of a battle against state-level voting laws that he said “carry the stench of oppression.” He implored the GOP: “Are you going to stamp it out or are you going to allow it to be spread? I plead with my Republicans, think twice. I plead with Leader McConnell: think twice."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/schumer-vs-mcconnell-a-side-by-side-duel-over-dems-election-bill/ar-BB1gBZBi