Civic Register
| 6.22.21
Senate Republicans Block Debate on Democrats' Election Reform Bill
How do you feel about Senate Republicans blocking Democrats’ election reform bill?
What’s the story?
- Senate Republicans voted Tuesday to defeat a procedural motion that would’ve allowed the upper chamber to debate and consider amendments to Democrats’ election reform bill, known as the For the People Act.
- The 50-50 vote went strictly along party-lines with all Democrats voting in favor and all Republicans opposed. The motion required 60 votes to succeed and allow initial debate to continue and for amendments to potentially receive votes, which means at least 10 GOP senators would’ve had to vote in favor to overcome the legislative filibuster.
- Republicans’ use of the legislative filibuster to block debate on Democrats’ election reform package on Tuesday is the highest-profile filibuster of the current Congress and arguably the most notable since Democrats voted to block debate on police reform in the summer of 2020.
- The vote is likely to escalate calls for Senate Democrats to use their majority to eliminate the legislative filibuster, which they have been stymied from doing by the opposition of Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), despite many Democrats’ recent support of the filibuster when they were in the minority.
What they’re saying
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in remarks on the floor ahead of the vote that “Republicans across the country” are engaged in voter suppression against “younger, poorer, non-white, and typically Democratic voters” and added:
“It takes 60 votes to start debate, and everyone knows that you still need 60 votes to end debate on a bill. So even if the Republicans don’t like the legislation at the end of the process, let them vote against it then. But no, they don’t even want to debate it. They don’t even want to debate it because they’re afraid. They want to deny the right to vote, make it harder for so many Americans, and they don’t want to talk about it. They want to sweep it under the rug and hope that Americans don’t hear about it.”
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) countered Schumer with floor remarks of his own, in which he called “Democrats’ transparently partisan plan” a “recipe for undermining confidence in our elections” and added:
“We know that it would shatter a decades-old understanding that campaign law should have a bipartisan referee, and turn the Federal Election Commission into a partisan-majority cudgel for Democrats to wield against their political opponents. We know that it would let Washington bureaucrats direct federal dollars into politicians’ campaign accounts ― government money for yard signs and attack ads. We know that it would let Democrats take a red pen to election laws in each of the 50 states, neutering popular precautions like voter I.D. while legalizing shady practices like ballot harvesting across the board.”
- Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who previously expressed opposition to Democrats’ election reform package, voted to support the bill after reaching a compromise with Democratic leadership to ensure his revisions to the bill would be the first amendment to receive a vote if debate had proceeded. He released a statement which explained:
“Over the past month, I have worked to eliminate the far reaching provisions of S. 1, the For the People Act ― which I do not support… This compromise legislation makes it easier to vote by expanding voter access through early voting and vote by mail for those who are eligible and unable to vote in person. Additionally, this bill has been modified to include voter ID requirements that aim to strengthen the security of our elections without making it harder for Americans to vote.”
- Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) spoke in opposition to Democrats’ election reform bill at a press conference, and called it a “national power grab” that would “take away the voices from our local elections officials and our state elections officials.” Ernst added:
“This bill is a power grab for D.C. politicians and bureaucrats. And instead of focusing on the things that are really important to our constituencies back home, the rising prices of goods that our families need every single day, these politicians here in Washington D.C. have decided they want to focus on consolidating power, politicizing the FEC, focusing on ballot harvesting, and funding their own campaigns with taxpayer dollars.”
— Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr / Creative Commons)
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Superbly stated, jimK! ❤️😊❤️😊. That they are being allowed to continue like this is, to me, treasonous. It is such a blatant violation to their oath of office. THERE MUST BE A WAY TO REMOVE THEM FROM OFFICE! THEIR ACTIONS ARE A COMPLETE DISREGARD FOR THE CONSTITUTION THEY SWORE TO PROTECT AND DEFEND. IT MUST BE ILLEGAL (TREASONOUS?) FOR THEM TO SELL THEIR SOULS TO THE BIG DONORS, EVEN THOUGH OUR ONCE HALLOWED SUPREME COURT CONTINUES TO ALLOW THEM TO BE BOUGHT AND SOLD BY BIG DONORS. I AM BEYOND DISGUSTED AND OUTRAGED THAT THEY ARE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY - ALL IN THE NAME OF GREED! IF WE ARE TO CONTINUE TO BE A DEMOCRACY THIS CONDUCT MUST BE STOPPED! Oh, and instead of building pipelines for more of the climate- destroying oil, perhaps we should build pipelines for water to be sent from the States being deluged by water to those crying for it in the west!
Oh, S, that is so true. ❤️😊❤️😊 If only the blind could see...
Excellent, Bicycler! 😊❤️😊❤️
The states have the right to set their own election systems. Federalization of that process goes against the principles of federalism and is intended solely as a political weapon to use against red states.
How could you not bring this to the floor? Our right to vote is under attack in so many states right now. This issue is unbelievably relevant and needs to be heard NOW.
Republicans have become the party of “NO” They are more interested in not letting Biden do anything to help the people. Being obstructionist and anything to create a problem. They are not there to help the people they are there to help themselves. They have become autocrats & They would rather have a dictatorship. Look at what happened in Haiti last night, it’s easy to get rid of a dictator! Is that what we’re going to become? If so lawmakers had better watch out. People like Marjorie Taylor Green comparing us to Nazi Germany because of our response to Covid what she would rather see millions dead oh yeah then we would be like Nazi Germany sending people to the gas chamber she stupid, she should not even be a representative. She should be expelled from Congress.
Here’s how I feel about it I feel like Mitch McConnell and the Republican Leader ship or anti-American idiots that border on Nazis. There are no bargaining style of leader ship will lead to the end of their party sooner or later. For four out of eight years they control the house and the Senate and the Congress the rest of the time they control the Senate and the presidency and did nothing for almost 8 years they got absolutely nothing accomplished. Aside from the deaths of a half 1 million Americans that’s it. Meanwhile after a year and infrastructure bill that has been needed in this country for decades is finally being passed. Republican party has become a party of conspiracists and losers.
Once again, the GOP proves the old adage, that if you stand for nothing you will fall for anything.....hence the "voter fraud" BS among other crazier beliefs....that the Dems are pedophillic (sp?) vampires......that forest fires are being started by Jewish laser beams from space.......and 1/6?.....that it was BLM and or "Antifa" (which isn't even a group....it stands for antifascist and it seems like EVERYONE would be on board with that)....that is a a "regular day of tourists"......and lord knows what else. As the world heats up or crumbles down around us.....the GOP has once again just taken the stance of obstructionists .......all the while, demolishing the right to vote and making up panels to "protect" religious freedoms....made up of the likes of Gym Jordon, Boebert and MTG......all who honor the "right" to be a "Christian".....insisting that representatives, should RE-swear in their allegiance to our country and our constitution on the Christian Bible (which THEY do not even follow the teachings of) instead of the Koran or what ever book these people hold dear. Once again, hypocrisy and STUPIDITY abounds!
We all believe that elections should be fair. There has been no proof of widespread voter fraud.yet, states are passing voter suppression bills under the guise of protecting elections. The For the People Act should be passed to allow voters in every state equal voter protections.
Has anyone of you making comments or voting actually READ the bill? You should. Then you will understand why Republicans are voting against it.
Agree in that the basic bill would have IMHO been a violation of the Constitution where each state has the right to do it's own thing on districting and voting. Having said that, it would make more sense to have one way to do things across the nation. I watched how nearby MD R governor proposed a non-partisan group to do their state's districting but that was shot down by the D controlled legislature - another example of how both parties really do not wish to give up anything they can control. I've lived in other countries nearly 10 yrs and they all shake their head at the way America has different laws in each state while their nations all have one way to do things throughout - an example of how when our nation was formed, to get the 13 Colonies to unite they all wished to maintain some independent controls.
Republicans know they will lose elections if they are run fairly, so they are cheating every way they can.
The GOP continues its assault on voting rights, continuing a tradition of voter suppression practices over time against women, African Americans, poor individuals, and students.
REPOST AGAIN: I guess I am having difficulty reconciling how a democratic republic is supposed to work with how our government is currently operating. In any representative democracy, representatives are elected to represent the will of the people. Our Country’s representatives all swear an oath to defend the Constitution and the Country as their highest purpose and defining reason for them to serve in our legislature. The Country in this case is, by definition, the all of us. … … … There is no oath for legislators to just serve themselves, their political party, their benefactors or even just their constituents - none of these things define the nature of their sworn duty to our country, their service in the offices that they hold or the privileges that they afford to themselves in lieu of the public trust. NONE. … … … So, just how is it that the Congressional Republican Senate can just ignore the overwhelming will of the people because honoring the will of the people may give political points to an opposing party? Aren’t they all in office to honor the will of the people? Isn’t honoring the will of the people a paramount responsibly of the people’s elected representatives? … … … All of Biden’s initiatives are supported by a majority of the voters including majorities of Republican, Independent and Democratic voters alike. The HR.1 legislation is supported by over a 60 point spread in WV; supported by 81% of Democratic voters, 79% of Independents and 76% of Republican voters. Politicians benefiting from dark money donations will not support this bill out of their own self interests because of the limitations that HR.1 imposes on dark money donations. Again, these representatives have the paramount duty to honor the collective will of the people and are not elected to protect their cash flow from benefactors. Representing the people’s will - isn’t that how a representative democracy is supposed to work? … … … How can a political party’s leadership, representing the minority of the people, simply declare that they will stop all of the legislative packages sponsored by representatives of the majority as well as being broadly supported the majority of the minority party’s own voters? Just who does the minority party’s representatives actually represent? It is not the will of the people nor the will of their own voters. Is this not putting the will of these legislators over the will of the people of this country and the will of the people that they purport to represent? How can this be tolerated in a democratic republic, a representative democracy, or any form of democracy? Isn’t this action alone a constitutional violation of their oath’s of office and their sworn duty? … … … Just how can the will of the governing supersede the will of the governed in a democracy? Do some of the governing feel that they are somehow some form of Royalty whose purpose is to placate the unfortunate, uniformed serfs that they ‘represent’ and ignore their desires and needs? Just who the f@¢k do they think they are? … … … Why should a minority party which is ignoring the will of the people for their own interests be able to require a 20 plus point spread in Senate voting to pass legislation supported broadly by the people with a 60 point spread? None of our elected official are required to win their elections with a 20 point spread - so why should the overwhelming will of the people even conceivably be allowed to be thwarted by a political party acting in bad faith, solely for the purpose of attaining and retaining political power and their substantial perks of office? I would think that the will of the people should be much more important that the will of a minority of legislators who do not find political advantage in carrying out their duties to the people, or that arcane Senate rules which allow a minority party to overwhelm the majority’s will is somehow more important than their primary duty to represent the all of us. They were not elected to let an abuse of Senate norms excuse them from their primary Constitutional duties. … … … People generally mistrust the Congress, complain about perpetual gridlock and the continued reduced performance of our country in education, life expectancy, homelessness, healthcare, hunger, incarceration rates, social justice, poverty and world status. These are all trends which started when Republican’s sold the public on the failed promises of trickle down economics and Gingrich regimented the House to block-vote and essentially declare war on the Democratic Party for the sole purpose of winning elections by any means possible. All of these things together explain Congressional gridlock and the great damages done to the very foundation that supports this country, our people. It would not have been this way had we insisted that our legislators took a fifth grade civics class and learned how a representative democracy is supposed to work and if we collectively demanded that they honor their duty to our country, their oath’s of office and hold them all to account for spewing of disinformation to convince us otherwise. … … … We have a lot of work to do.
Every American has voting concerns about the 2020 election, so avoiding debate on voting reforms is not following the will of constituents. I appreciate the laws of our state allowing mail-in/absentee voting and early voting as I’ve voted in the past. But we still have many improvements to make. How can we still not have online or automatic voter registration in 2021? Every other state has different laws around voting and stricter laws are being passed in some after the last election. We should all have the same access to the ballot box.
Republicans are a joke suppressing voters to try to have only white people get elected!
All fifty Senate Republicans blocked a DEBATE on the For the People Act - a bill that has widespread public support! It should be quite apparent to all fifty Democratic Senators that their Republican colleagues are not willing to work in good faith on behalf of the American people. The Democratic Senators should now weaken the filibuster (by bringing back the talking filibuster or carving out voting rights bills) or eliminating the filibuster.
The only way Republicans win elections is by cheating and restricting the peoples right to vote. Republican are afraid because the majority of Americans do not support the racist ideological right wing views. Restricting voting rights by Republicans isdanger to free society and a danger to our democracy.
I’m one that believes people should work together regardless of political party, beliefs etc. We don’t work together anymore. We could go along way with compromise. That is a history lesson that will never be taught because history is being erased!
Shame on Republicans. They are making the United States a laughing stock of the world. It started with Trump and is continuing.