On Thursday morning, the House passed Democrats' most radical piece of elections legislation yet, the "Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act,” along party lines. This legislation combines the "Freedom to Cheat Act" and H.R. 4 into one bill.
The "Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act" is a combination of #HR4 and the #FreedomToVoteAct. https://t.co/LpUv7En9Aw
— Lawyers Democracy (@lawyersdf) January 13, 2022
As the Committee on House Administration Republicans explain, the following are some of the most concerning provisions found in the bill:
1. Disregards state voter ID laws.
2. Publicly funds campaigns and makes the FEC partisan.
3. Nationalizes elections.
4. Creates an Elections Czar.
5. Severely limits states' ability to conduct voter roll list maintenance.
Of course, Democrats would prefer that the American people not know what's in the legislation. They added provisions so very last-minute that it even made it difficult for members of Congress to know what they were voting on.
Democrats don’t want the American people to know what’s in this radical piece of legislation—or their fellow members of Congress. Several previously unseen provisions were added last night. https://t.co/2wNnXjmAHW
— RNLA ⚖️ (@TheRepLawyer) January 13, 2022
But Democrats' shenanigans will not be successful in the Senate.
Despite sailing through the House, the "Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act" is dead on arrival in the Senate due to the continued support for the legislative filibuster by Democrat Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin.
After @SenatorSinema’s speech reaffirming her support for the filibuster, the "Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act” is officially dead on arrival. However, Democrats are likely to continue with their plan to bring the legislation to the floor and attempt to abolish the filibuster.
— RNLA ⚖️ (@TheRepLawyer) January 13, 2022
Long @Sen_JoeManchin statement: "Allowing one party to exert complete control in the Senate with only a simple majority will only pour fuel onto the fire of political whiplash...As such, and as I have said many times before, I will not vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster." pic.twitter.com/Joe6beO1T4
— Grace Panetta (@grace_panetta) January 13, 2022
Senate Democrats still plan to vote on the legislation with the hopes of abolishing the filibuster in the process, but it is unclear what their next steps will be. Because Democrat Senator Brian Schatz has tested positive for COVID-19, the earliest the Democrats can move forward with their plan is Sunday.
Sen. Feinstein, who missed Senate Judiciary meeting today because she wasn’t feeling well, is back and at Dem lunch. Sen. Schatz has tested positive for covid. That means Schumer will have at most 47 votes to change filibuster rules if they vote this week, and he needs 50
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 13, 2022
To hear the latest on the Democrats' plan to federalize elections and abolish the filibuster, join RNLA this Friday at 2:00 p.m. ET for our first webinar of the year. We will also cover proposals to reform the Electoral Count Act.
Join the RNLA on 1/14 at 2:00 p.m. ET for our first webinar of the year covering the Democrats’ efforts to abolish the filibuster in the name of a federal takeover of our elections. We will also address proposals to reform the Electoral Count Act. https://t.co/qRCtXs9qc2
— RNLA ⚖️ (@TheRepLawyer) January 7, 2022