Yesterday, the House passed sweeping voting rights legislation that’s been on Congressional Democrats’ wishlist since 2018. The nearly 800-page H.R. 1, For the People Act, would make federal updates to absentee voting, in-person voting, campaign finance and ethics reform measures.
Polling from 2019 and this year shows the bill is broadly popular with the public, but previous legislation did not pass in the Republican-led Senate in 2019. Even with the current slim Democratic control (a 50-50 Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris as the tiebreaker), it will be incredibly difficult to pass with the required 60 votes to avoid the Senate filibuster.
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Supporters of the bill say the goal of the legislation is to counter voter suppression, partisan gerrymandering and the influence of special-interest groups. The legislation is a voting reform wishlist for Congressional Democrats, but also includes some policies that have been supported by state officials in red states or backed by Congressional Republicans, the Campaign Legal Center, which supports the legislation, notes.
Those who oppose say the legislation oversteps states’ rights. Historically, states have set most details of election laws. The Heritage Foundation says H.R. 1 would “federalize and micromanage the election process, imposing unnecessary, unwise, and unconstitutional mandates on the states.”
Voting Rights
Campaign Finance Reform
Regulating Freedom of Speech
Parts of the bill target the dissemination of deceptive speech and raise questions about freedom of expression. If enacted into law and challenged in court, the government would need to prove those parts of the law serve a compelling interest and were narrowly drafted.
The Institute for Free Speech notes the provisions in H.R. 1 “are so complex and open to so many possible interpretations that the Institute’s views may well understate the chill this legislation would impose on speech.”
The bill has also resulted in some unusual allies: the RNC and the ACLU. The ACLU told lawmakers in 2019 that it opposed the bill. The group said it supported provisions to expand voting rights but opposed campaign finance provisions that it said would limit free speech. The group told lawmakers this month that it had “significant constitutional concerns” about the legislation as proposed, which the Republican National Committee chair shared.
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For a change, some good news: The Journal reports that the Biden administration is in the early stages of building a “tech alliance” against China.
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We need to start listening to people who are concerned about closing their accounts and building tools that can fulfill their needs.
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West Virginia has administered almost 450,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine. More than 9% of its population has gotten both doses.
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