Senate Democrats plan to make another attempt at passing legislation that would increase federal oversight of elections and could vote on a bill as soon as next week, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Unanimous opposition from Republicans means the bill cannot stave off a GOP filibuster and is headed for likely defeat. But Democrats want to hold a vote to demonstrate all 50 lawmakers in their party are willing to support a bill they say is aimed at increasing access to the polls.
The measure is the product of negotiations among Democrats, including West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who earlier this year voted against a more sweeping Democratic measure that would overhaul election and campaign laws broadly. The bill would have eliminated voter ID and other new voter integrity laws implemented by some states.
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Manchin has called for requiring voter ID but not necessarily state-issued photo identification.
“This is a good proposal,” Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Monday of the latest proposal. “And I encourage all my Senate colleagues to support it.”
Democrats are racing to pass new voter legislation in the hopes of countering red-state voter integrity laws Democrats say will make it harder for people to vote and will lead to political gerrymandering of congressional districts in GOP-leaning states.
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“This is unacceptable,” Schumer said. “So the Senate must act. I intend to hold a vote in the Senate as early as next week on voting rights legislation. Time is of the essence.”
Republicans say the measure was written to ensure Democrats win future elections and would damage voter integrity while increasing voter fraud.
House lawmakers in August passed a bill aimed at increasing voter participation and federal oversight of elections. The measure, named after the late Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, faces near-unanimous opposition from Senate Republicans.
