Voters not sold on Dems’ 800-plus page rewrite of election laws; bill doomed in Senate

Democrats have labeled their major election overhaul the “For the People Act” — but when pollsters talk to the people themselves, many say they would rather take a pass.

As the Senate prepares to vote on the legislation Tuesday, Americans are deeply conflicted.

Tell them the legislation is about “voting access,” paving the way for easier registration and more convenient opportunities to cast ballots, and Americans are enthused. But tell them the legislation also overrides states’ voter-ID laws or spawns a new taxpayer-funded financing system for federal campaigns, and that warm feeling fades.

“The bottom line seems to be that most Democrats and Republicans want to take the potential for election results to be questioned off the table. The problem, though, is they aren’t likely to agree on how to get there,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

Monmouth released data this week finding 50% of those surveyed rated barriers to voting as their top election worry, versus 37% who said voter fraud was the big concern.

A large majority — 71% — said in-person voting should be made easier, while 50% said mail-in voting should be made easier. But at the same time, 80% said it makes sense to ask voters to show a photo ID.

The Senate bill sprawls across 888 pages — or 886 pages in the House version — and envisions a total overhaul of how states run elections. It would set standards in line with the most liberal or permissive states, though all states would be required to meet them.