06/03/2021

Biden Tasks VP Harris with Voting Rights Push

The For the People Act is congressional Democrats’ top legislative priority

Citing recent Republican state voting reform laws as an “unprecedented assault” on democracy, President Joe Biden said this week that Vice President Kamala Harris will spearhead the administration’s push for legislation to expand voting rights and change campaign finance rules.

The For the People Act, which passed the House in March on a party-line vote, is congressional Democrats’ top legislative priority. Key provisions of the bill include expanding automatic voter registration and same-day registration; strengthening voting by mail, early voting and ballot access; combating voter intimidation and suppression; protecting elections from foreign interference; fixing partisan redistricting; and forcing disclosure of “dark money” donations to political groups. The bill (S. 1) is stalled in the U.S. Senate where Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has accused Democrats of trying to “rewrite the rules of our system.”

When the Senate Rules Committee deadlocked on the bill last month, McConnell said Democrats were trying to set the ground rules for election administration and the regulation of campaign finance laws.

“Our democracy is not in crisis,” McConnell said. “... And we are not going to let one party take over our democracy under the false pretense of saving it.”

Biden and congressional Democrats say the bill is needed to combat voting bills in a number of states that would make it harder for communities of color to vote. Democrats in Texas staged a walkout over last weekend that denied a final vote on a voting reform bill and states such as Arizona, Florida and Georgia have already passed similar legislation.

Speaking at an event this week marking the 100^th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, Biden said Harris would lead the administration’s efforts to counter these restrictive bills.

“With her leadership and your support, we’re going to overcome again, I promise you. But it’s going to take a hell of a lot of work,” Biden said.

Harris reportedly asked for the assignment after meeting with members of civil rights groups last month.

Following Biden’s announcement, Harris issued a statement saying, “Every American has a right to have their voice heard at the ballot box, and no American should be kept from voting early, voting by mail, or voting at all. Our democracy is strongest when everyone participates, and it is weaker when people are left out.”

This article was provided to OSAE by ASAE's Power of A and Inroads.