U.S. Senate Democrats aim to expand voting as Republicans seek to rein it in
Voting Rights And Voter Fraud,US Senate,Elections
Democrats in the U.S. Senate hope on Tuesday to advance sweeping election reform legislation making it easier for Americans to cast ballots, despite intense opposition from Republicans, many of whom support new restrictive voting rules at the state level.
The 886-page bill would expand mail-in voting that was used widely in last year's presidential election because of the coronavirus pandemic and would lengthen the hours of in-person balloting.
The bill faces long odds in the Senate, where 10 Republicans would have to join with Democrats for it to pass.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said it would "strengthen our democracy, increase transparency in our campaign finance system and make it easier for all Americans to vote."
Republicans have blasted it as a federal takeover of state elections.
"Democrats’ partisan power-grab 'election reform' bill is not about voting rights. It’s about letting Washington Democrats control the terms of political debate and all 50 states’ election laws," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Twitter on Monday.
A similar bill was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in March by a vote of 220-210, with no Republican support.
The Democrats' effort comes as Republican former President Donald Trump continues to insist falsely that the 2020 election was stolen from him through massive voter fraud, a claim that has been shot down in multiple courts as well as by state and federal election officials.
