Senate ready for confrontation in urgent electoral bill. Democrats say it increases voting rights and the Republican Party denounces it as a seizure of power

The Senate is set for a major confrontation on Wednesday on one of Democrats’ top priorities with an audience on S.1, the Senate’s version of the controversial election bill known as HR1 in the House, which would make major changes in the way how the American elections are runs.

Democrats say the bill will strengthen voting rights and, therefore, civil rights, while Republicans argue that it aims to simply solidify the government’s democratic control. The hearing in the Senate Rules and Administration Committee will begin at 10 am.

“They want to change the system to benefit and they want to have, instead of an arbitrator, that the FEC be a prosecutor,” said Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., On the podcast on Tuesday ” Ruthless “.

MCCONNELL SAYS DEMOS TRYING TO USE POWER TO HELP ‘EARN ELECTIONS IN PERPETUITY’ WITH HR1, DC STATEHOOD

He was referring to a clause in the bill that changes the Federal Electoral Commission from a 3-3 party split to five members in total, with two from each party and a fifth not affiliated with either, but appointed by the president. .

“So this is nothing more than trying to help the Democrats win the elections forever,” he added.

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., however, said S.1 “would combat all of these voter suppression efforts by restoring critical parts of the Voting Rights Act … making it easier – no more difficult – automatically voting to register American voters when they get a driver’s license … limits dark money and corruption in our policy, and more. “

McConnell and Schumer, notably, sit on the Rules and Administration Committee.

S.1 and its fellow in the Chamber are massive and comprehensive legislative acts that prohibit states from requiring photo identification to vote; raise barriers for states to clear voter lists; require states to offer hanging boxes for 45 days before an election; remodel the FEC and more. It represents a vast expansion of the federal government’s role in state-administered elections.

Democrats framed HR 1 and S.1 as the top civil rights priorities and must say the bill represents nothing less at Wednesday’s hearing.

SCHUMER VOWS THAT THE SENATE WILL TAKE UP ARMS CONTROL MEASURES

“All Americans – regardless of their skin color, where they live or how much money they have – deserve a seat at the table and an equal voice in their government,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., A member of the commission, said in an announcement. “We must face all obstacles, from party gerrymandering, to massive sums of dark money and the suppression of voters, which prevent us from fully fulfilling the promise of an equal and just America.”

Added committee chairman, Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn: “People’s Law is essential to protect the voting rights of all Americans, obtaining dark money from our elections and carrying out extensive anti-corruption reforms.”

But Republicans are expected to be combative in the audience, arguing that S.1 is misguided at best, a naked takeover at worst, and that this will undermine electoral security. Senator Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., A member of the committee, attacked S.1 in a statement shared with Fox News on Tuesday.

“If you like the way Democrats are dealing with border security, wait until they get their hands on election security. This so-called ‘For the People’ act is another act wrongly named here in Washington – it should be called ‘By the Politicians’ because what it does – allows Democrats to federalize our electoral system, “said Hagerty.

“The Constitution is very clear in Article II, Section 1, that state legislatures are solely responsible for establishing electoral laws,” he continued. “What happens in this bill is that they want to take all of this through an absolute seizure of power, encouraging dangerous behaviors: registration on the Internet, no photo identification required, automatic voting of criminals. One of the things that most affected me concern is the ability of people to vote in the harvest. “

Outside the audience itself, Senate Republicans are expected to hold a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, where they will avoid S.1. A Republican Party aide told Fox News that they expect between eight and 12 senators to attend, equivalent to about 20% of the conference.

“This is another type of metric that shows how enthusiastic they are,” said the Republican Party advisor on the sentiment among Party 1 senators in S.1.

20 AGS STATE REPORTING DEMOCRATS HR1 AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

The advisor also noted that the first 10 account numbers in each chamber are reserved for the majority party, adding that “when HR1 and S.1 in both chambers are essentially the takeover of the electoral system, this is a very clear statement of [Democrats’] priorities. “

External GOP organizations are also putting strong pressure on senators to oppose HR1 and S.1.

Heritage Action, a conservative advocacy group associated with the Heritage Foundation, labeled the bills – technically called the People’s Law – the “Corrupt Politicians Act”. The group told Fox News that it sent 280,000 text messages asking people to contact their senators to oppose the bill and activists associated with the group sent 300,000 peer-to-peer texts.

“The Corrupt Politicians Act is an unprecedented attack on free and fair elections,” said Heritage Action executive director Jessica Anderson. “This would prevent states from strengthening their electoral laws and transfer power to unelected bureaucrats and politicians in Washington. This is the number one threat to voting rights in America, and our grassroots members know this. The Senate must act to prevent this disastrous project in its tracks. “

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The liberal groups, in turn, are totally behind S.1 and HR1.

“The right to vote is our most fundamental right. It is the right upon which all of our other rights rest and the right that protects our democracy,” said Wade Henderson, interim president and executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights after the Chamber approved HR1. He added that the legislation “will strengthen our democracy by breaking down barriers to voting, expanding access to the ballot box and ensuring that the challenges that voters faced last year will not happen in the next elections. This project is a critical step in strengthening our democracy, and we urge the Senate to pass this legislation quickly. “

Schumer, Klobuchar and the Senate Democrats may, in fact, try to move the bill forward “quickly”. But they are likely to encounter a buzz in the legislative obstruction. It is doubtful whether they will be able to get enough Republicans to overcome the 60 vote barrier – if they will.

“S.1, the so-called ‘For the People’ Act, would create problems where problems currently do not exist,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., In a statement to Fox News. “The People’s Law dramatically alters the careful balance between our federal and state governments that our Constitution and Founders created. I support electoral reforms, but I want to make our elections safer, not more ripe for fraud as this bill would. If you are truly for the people and for our Constitution, you will oppose S.1. “