Wicker, Hyde-Smith remain opposed to the bill.
In June, U.S. Senate Republicans blocked debate on the Democrats’ “For the People Act” (S. 1) that sought to implement federal election standards on states, many argued that would undermine Voter ID and election integrity laws across the nation. The result was a 50-50 vote in the evenly divided Senate, effectively filibustering the measure.
Senate Democrats and the White House vowed the fight was not over on this issue, moving to coordinate with activist groups to raise support for the measure.
Now, in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, following over 14 hours of debate on a $3.5 trillion Democrat spending package that resulted in a strict party-line vote of 50-49 and with one Republican Senator not present (South Dakota’s Mike Rounds), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) brought the federal voting measure back to the chamber to discharge the Rules Committee from further consideration, allowing debate on the “For the People Act” to move forward.
Republicans, with one not voting, could not stop the Democrats’ efforts to move the measure forward to debate this go around. All 49 Republicans present, including Mississippi’s Senator Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, voted against the Democratic Majority Leader’s motion.
<<READ MORE: CORDER: Mississippi is a nuclear option away from losing control over its own elections.>>
Among the criticisms of the “For the People Act” previously expressed by both Republican Senators Wicker and Hyde-Smith are that this Democrat-backed plan would nullify state Voter ID laws and force taxpayers to finance political campaigns.
Senator Hyde-Smith has labeled the legislation a “blatant Democrat power grab.”
Senator Wicker has said the bill is based on a myth, a lie that voting rights are under attack in states like Georgia and Texas, calling it “utterly absurd.”
Republican Leader Mitch McConnell rose to oppose Schumer’s action early Wednesday morning, visibly irritated from Schumer’s move.
“After ramming through this reckless taxing and spending spree, here in the dead of night, they also want to start tearing up the ground rules of our democracy,” McConnell said, adding Democrats were “writing new ones, of course, on a purely partisan basis.”
Schumer says the measure will be brought to the floor for debate in the Senate upon the chamber’s return from their scheduled recess.
Frank Corder
