WASHINTON, D.C. (NBC) — The Senate is beginning work on a sweeping nationwide voting rights bill and the sharp partisan differences were on display Wednesday.
A normally staid rules committee hearing drew both Senate party leaders to make opening statements on the bill, a highly unusual move.
This after the House passed a bill that seeks to knock down voter barriers, including mandating automatic voter registration, same-day voter registration and minimum early voting periods.
Democrats say changes are needed after Republican-controlled state legislatures pass laws they claim are raising barriers to voting such as voter ID laws, restricting mail-in voting and early voting periods, and requiring absentee ballot signatures be notarized.
“Instead of what you should be doing when you lose an election in a democracy, attempting to win over those voters in the next election,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “Republicans instead are trying to disenfranchise those voters. Shame on them.”
Republicans call the law a federal “power grab” that orders states how to run elections with a barrage of regulations that could harm election integrity.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said, “This is a solution in search of a problem. Turnout in 2020 was up 7%. The turnout in the 2020 election was the highest since 1900. States are not engaging in trying to suppress voters whatsoever.””
Democrats have an uphill climb to pass the bill in a 50-50 Senate. They’d need 60 votes to overcome a likely filibuster and even then, Democrats such as Senator Joe Manchin haven’t committed to voting for the law.
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