Early voting, redistricting: What's in the Democrats' voting rights bill going up for a vote in the Senate?
Voting Rights And Voter Fraud,For The People Act,US Senate,Elections
Democrats in the Senate are trying this week to convince their Republican colleagues that updated voting rights legislation is necessary, but the bill they are bringing forward is unlikely to pass.
The For the People Act, which passed in the House largely along party lines in March, is unlikely to pass the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster in the evenly divided Senate. In the House, one Democrat and all Republicans voted against it, and it has no Republican support in the Senate. One Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, has also proposed changes.
The bill is relevant as Republican-led states have introduced a slew of new voting restrictions that civil rights groups fear could suppress the vote for marginalized groups and make it harder to vote overall. It could be voted on as early as Tuesday.
More:Voting rights bill poised for Senate action while Republicans remain opposed, Manchin offers compromise
So what's in the sweeping voting rights bill?
The largest focus of the For the People Act would federalize provisions Democrats hope would make it easier for people to vote and register to vote.
It would increase voter access by expanding early voting, allowing for same-day voter registration, enacting automatic registration for federal elections and lowering identification requirements. States would also be required to have electronic voter registration, as well as register eligible felons after they’ve completed their sentences.
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