A Democrat proposal to reform the US election has failed in the Senate. The so-called For the People Act received 50 votes in the 100-member Senate. The 50 Republican senators voted against. It took 60 votes to pass the bill.
With the new electoral law, the Democrats want to better protect the voting rights of minorities, reduce the influence of money in American politics and make it more transparent, and reduce the influence of parties on the drawing of constituencies.
Republicans called the plan a “breathtaking” federal government violation of states’ right to hold their own elections. It also relieves states of resources to tackle ballot box fraud.
‘Completely divided’
Correspondent Marieke de Vries says the vote in the Senate on the electoral law makes it clear how “completely divided” American politics is. “The Democrats say they are introducing this bill to save democracy and protect the fundamental rights of minorities. The Republicans, for their part, think it jeopardizes the integrity of the election. So they are completely opposed to each other.”
By pointing out the fraud, Republicans are also following the line of former President Trump, says De Vries, who threw unfounded and unproven allegations of election fraud into the world after the presidential elections last year.
Georgia Electoral Law
On the basis of the same fraud argument, Republicans amended the Georgia electoral law in March, which included stricter identification requirements for letter voters and no longer allowed voters in rows to be supplied with food or water. President Biden called that law in Georgia “is nothing but a punishment designed to dissuade people from voting”.
Election reform plays an important role in Biden’s presidency. Shortly before the vote, he tweeted about the bill. “Send it to my desk,” Biden urged senators to vote in favour. The law “repairs and strengthens” American democracy, he said.
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