Senate Dems plot new paths on voting reform, sidestepping filibuster
As the fate of Senate Democrats’ signature ethics and voting reform package remains in limbo, they’re confident they can deliver in at least one area: election funding.
Senate Democrats, led by Rules Chair Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, are considering providing additional cash for voting standards and voting by mail in the $3.5 trillion social spending plan that the party is set to take its first steps on as soon as this weekend. Klobuchar and others have emphasized that the boost of cash for election infrastructure is not a replacement for Democrats’ stalled reform plan, but rather an alternate track to make progress.
“We’re working to see what we can do with it, but it will not be a replacement for the federal voting standards. Because some states would just go ‘Well, I don’t want the money,” Klobuchar said, adding that the amount of funding is still under negotiation.
Still, the forthcoming multitrillion-dollar spending bill may be the only realistic opportunity for congressional Democrats to do something concrete on voting ahead of next fall's midterms. With Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and other Democrats opposed to changing the legislative filibuster, any major election overhaul stands little chance of becoming law at the moment.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/senate-dems-plot-new-paths-on-voting-reform-sidestepping-filibuster/ar-AAMYrz5