WASHINGTON — The Senate is set Wednesday to attempt to advance a package of election legislation, but Senate Republicans are expected to block the bills.
Democrats need at least 10 Republicans to break ranks in order to get the 60 votes needed to overcome the GOP filibuster, but have made little effort to win bipartisan support and Republican lawmakers are overwhelmingly opposed to the legislation.
After the vote, which is set to take place around 6:30 p.m. ET, the Senate Democrats will attempt to change their own rules to pass the bill without any Republicans, a change announced Tuesday by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
That effort, which would only require 50 votes, is also expected to fail.
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The proposed rule change would allow for a “talking filibuster” for only the voting legislation, which would mean a simple majority could pass the bill after Republicans use all of the allowable time to speak.
The new rule would shift the onus away from a Senate majority to find 60 votes to advance the legislation and toward the minority to hold the floor and talk continuously to block bills.
Changing the rules would require backing from all 50 members of the Democratic caucus, but they don’t appear to have unanimous support heading into Wednesday’s showdown.
“If the Republicans block cloture on the legislation before us, I will put forward a proposal to change the rules to allow for a talking filibuster on this legislation, as recommended by a number of colleagues,” Schumer told reporters after a Democratic caucus meeting Tuesday.
Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., however, have said they are against changing the rules of the Senate without Republicans also agreeing to do so.
“I’ve been very clear about that. I just don’t know how you break a rule to make a rule,” Manchin said Tuesday. “The majority of my colleagues in the Democratic caucus, they’ve changed their mind. I respect that. … I haven’t. I hope they respect that, too. I’ve never changed my mind on the filibuster.”
Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, of Arizona, said on Wednesday he will support a Senate rule change. He had not previously taken a position on the filibuster.
“If campaign finance and voting rights reforms are blocked again this week, I will support the proposed changes to pass them with a majority vote,” said Kelly, in a statement. “Protecting the vote-by-mail system used by a majority of Arizonans and getting dark money out of our elections is too important to let fall victim to Washington dysfunction.”
The first vote is schedule to be on a combined package of the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
The Freedom to Vote Act would create a set of standards for federal elections to ensure that voters have similar access to the ballot box nationwide. The bill would require states to offer a minimum number of days for early voting and the ability to vote by mail for any reason. It would also make Election Day a national holiday.
The other measure, named after the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., would update the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a landmark legislation that barred discriminatory election laws.
Sahil Kapur and Teaganne Finn contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
