Roll Call: Momentum grows for Senate to take up voting bills ahead of budget package
Roll Call: Momentum grows for Senate to take up voting bills ahead of budget package
Senate Democrats are inching closer to pushing floor action on their sweeping safety net and climate package into 2022 amid growing momentum in the caucus to make a last-ditch attempt to pass voting rights legislation before the end of the year.
In a sign of the shifting mood, one of the top progressive voices on Capitol Hill who’s been leading the charge for much of this year to get President Joe Biden’s economic agenda enacted suggested maybe it was time to change gears. …
While Manchin has yet to find a compromise version of the reconciliation package he likes, he has been on board with Senate Democrats’ updated voting rights and election overhaul bills for months.
After opposing a comprehensive House-passed version of the broader elections bill, Manchin worked with his colleagues on a slimmed-down package that incorporates much of the House language but scrapped lobbying and federal ethics provisions.
The House-passed bill would establish minimum standards for voting across the country, such as same-day voter registration, universal voting by mail and minimum periods for early voting. It would also require additional disclosures for groups that engage in election-related spending.
The revised bill seeks to put an end to partisan gerrymandering by setting specific criteria for congressional redistricting. It also provides new protections for election workers and would set Election Day as a federal holiday.
Advocates of the Manchin compromise bill said they have been working to build support for it, including holding rallies outside of the White House.
“I think there is a tremendous amount of pressure on them to deliver on voting rights,” said Stephen Spaulding, senior counsel for public policy and government affairs at Common Cause.