On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced that Vice President Kamala Harris would lead the Administration's election law effort. It should come as no surprise that the Biden Administration is assigning the task to Vice President Harris. The Corrupt Politicians Act (H.R.1/S.1), a federal takeover of elections, is the Democrats' number one priority.
Politico reports:
In his speech, Biden renewed his calls for the Senate to pass the For The People Act, the broad legislation reforming ballot access and campaign finance that passed the House but faces long odds in the Senate. Biden said he’d “fight like heck” to get the legislation passed and touted the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act as well, saying June should be a "month of action."
In a statement following Biden's announcement, Vice President Harris said:
There are two important bills in Congress that would do just that. The For the People Act would provide all Americans with fair and accessible voting options, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would prevent discriminatory changes to voting laws and procedures.
President Joe Biden asked me to help lead our Administration’s effort to protect the fundamental right to vote for all Americans. In the days and weeks ahead, I will engage the American people, and I will work with voting rights organizations, community organizations, and the private sector to help strengthen and uplift efforts on voting rights nationwide. And we will also work with members of Congress to help advance these bills.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to force a vote on the Senate version of the Corrupt Politicians Act by the end of the month. As The Hill reported last week:
In a letter to the Democratic caucus, Schumer said he would bring the For the People Act, also known as S. 1 and H.R. 1, to the floor in June. Though he's previously said it would get a vote before the August recess, Friday marks the first time he's tied it to a hard timeline.
"In the last week of the June work period, the Senate will vote on S.1, the For the People Act, legislation that is essential to defending our democracy, reducing the influence of dark money and powerful special interests, and stopping the wave of Republican voter suppression happening in the states across the country in service of President Trump’s Big Lie," Schumer wrote.
Schumer told reporters it would come up the week of June 21. The June work period runs through June 25.
At a White House press conference, Press Secretary Jen Psaki explained that Vice President Harris requested to have the election law effort added to her portfolio of issues.
Vice President @KamalaHarris "asked to run point on voting rights."
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) June 2, 2021
She'll lead the Biden administration's campaign countering the "unprecedented assault" on voting.
https://t.co/DnSXfUJKdA
Harris has received criticism over the last few months for the perceived lack of effort that she has put into some of the other priorities that have been assigned to her, such as Biden's border crisis.
.@KamalaHarris was appointed border czar 70 days ago, and the crisis has only worsened.
— Republican State Leadership Committee (@RSLC) June 2, 2021
Now, she’s been put in charge of the Dem power grab, HR.1.
Republicans have to fight back before she turns our elections into chaos -- just like the border. https://t.co/wqB0R2eZNN
Leave no doubt, the way Vice President Harris handles Democrats' election law effort will be a disaster, just like the way she's handled Biden's border crisis.