Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is reported to be a “hard no” for a radical overhaul of U.S. election law, known as the For the People Act, according to the Associated Press.
The proposed law, supported by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, passed the House along party lines. The bill would make voter fraud easier and change campaign finance laws. Every state would be required to set up 15 days of early voting and absentee ballots would have to be issued for any reason. All states would be required to provide same-day voter registration for federal elections, and allow voters to change their registration at the polls.
The bill would require automatic voter registration for all, vote by mail for all, and even though it would require vote by mail, it would make Election Day a federal holiday. It would require all states to adopt online voter registration (now adopted in 39 states), and require states to allow all 16- and 17-year olds to pre-register to vote in advance of becoming eligible to vote at age 18.
Under the bill, states would be greatly restricted in their ability to clean up their voter rolls, as the law would prevent purging of names six months before an election. The bill restores voting rights to felons who have completed prison terms.
HR 1 was originally introduced by Rep. John Sarbanes in 2019, as on behalf of the Democratic majority that took control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 election. It was the first official piece of legislation for the 116th United States Congress, but was blocked by the Republican-controlled Senate.
Now, the Senate is split but the Democrats are in charge because they control the White House, and the bill is said to be heading for a floor vote the week of June 21. It appears all Republicans are against the measure as is Sen. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia conservative Democrat.
A separate bill, called the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, would reauthorize provisions of the Voting Rights Act and is more likely to get bipartisan support.
Murkowski and Manchin wrote to the leaders of both the Senate and House on May 17, urging the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, and arguing that voting rights has “not been a partisan issue” since the bill was first passed 1965 and “we must not allow it to become on today.”
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would reestablish Justice Department oversight over voting laws in states with a history of discriminatory practices. Those states that were once under Justice Department oversight included eight Southern states plus Alaska.
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down key provisions of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, lifting federal supervision of Alaska’s elections. The 5-4 ruling said that the VRA method for identifying states needing federal election oversight was unfair and arbitrary.
That is good…but doing ONE thing right over all of her terms won’t save her next year. Too little, wayyyyyyyy tooo late.
It’s Simple
Voting in person, at your local polling place
With ID one vote
End of story
I’m still voting Out Lisa
She’s a Scary person, to be representing Alaska
Once again, as her election approaches, Murkowski starts to turn back to the right in order to keep her seat. If she wasn’t up for re-election, do you think she would be taking this position?
Manchin’s out too, thank goodness.
Wow! Horrible bill! I’ve worked elections. Alaska can’t keep the voter rolls updated as it is. And what happens if the internet goes down or some part of the online process gets hacked? Not to mention the total lack of security this bill provides in so many ways. It’s as if the Democrats are saying, “Here, just take over our country via elections!”
Too bad. Increased voting restrictions just make it harder for people who are eligible to vote but who have trouble getting to polling places, and place undue identification requirements on those who do not drive or have difficulty getting an ID that satisfies stringent requirements. This is truly an effort to disenfranchise legitimate voters, and is a solution to a problem that has been shown to exists, right wing propaganda to the contrary notwithstanding.
These are voting rights issues that need to go away. One person, one vote, no restrictions based on party, poverty, religion, political affiliation, or whether you prefer cats to dogs.
She will”reconsider”her position in the name of “bipartisanship” to try to scam some crossover democrats
I agree with Joni Cody. Regardless of her sudden change of heart, Murkowski has got to go. As an aside, I can’t even check out a library book without an ID, nor can I use the same library card if I move to a new library district. I can’t even get a new card in the new district without proving that I am a resident of the district. How can a library book be more important than a vote?
Hey, whatever hoops one has to jump through to buy a firearm are good enough for those wishing to register to vote. If mail order voting is safe & secure, then so is the mail order purchase of a firearm. See how this game is played?
Don’t count Murkowski out yet. With voters coming and going and the electorate having a very short memory, many will know nothing about her voting record or have forgotten.
I was more worried about daddy’s little Murkowski then Manchin on this vote. I’m convinced she votes this way sometimes to fool the people who aren’t onto her. Either that or she’s momentarily tired of the piles of hate mail.
GREG R. are you just so naïve or are you mentally challenged? Most people may be honest but one dishonest can generate thousands of votes. I know, I both saw it done and helped. Kim Jong Un always wins overwhelmingly and calls it democracy. Don’t you think that is just great?
Color me “stunned.”
@GREG R.:
“and place undue identification requirements on those who do not drive or have difficulty getting an ID that satisfies stringent requirements. ”
.
I want to meet this person, or those people. I will personally pay for their photo ID. I am pretty sure a lot of readers of MRAK will be glad to help out as well.
Please submit a list of names. I want to help.
Trying to save her Bacon! Sorry Lisa, not going to work. But, thanks for the no vote anyway.
In Anchorage, the April elections was the first step. Ranked voting is the second. The third and final toll of the bell with be this intrinsically corrupt bill. After that, nothing will save the republic.
Comments are closed.