Tipsheet

Victory (Again) for GOP Against Dem Attempt at Federal Takeover of Elections

Spencer Brown
Spencer Brown  |  October 20, 2021 3:45 PM

On Wednesday afternoon, Republican members of the United States Senate successfully filibustered the Democrats' latest attempt to pass so-called "voting rights" legislation that would give the federal government control over America's elections by reviving many portions of the also-defeated For the People Act. 

The vote to move forward with the dubiously named Freedom to Vote Act fell short of the 60-vote threshold necessary to stop a filibuster with a final tally of 49-51 announced by Vice President Kamala Harris who presided over the Senate as the Biden legislative agenda took another loss, its second on election bills.

Back in June, Republican senators defeated Democrat attempts to pass the For the People Act — better known by conservatives as the Corrupt Politicians Act — when they prevented Schumer from getting the 60 votes necessary to move to debate on that iteration of Democrats' attempted federal takeover of elections.

Senate Democrats and their leftist allies have exploited Republican opposition to their election bills as another alleged example of why the filibuster should be abolished, or at least gutted, a move that's opposed by even President Biden, but one that continues to gain steam among Senate Democrats. 

As the Senate voted on Wednesday, President Biden released a statement calling the Freedom to Vote Act an "urgent" matter because "Democracy — the very soul of America — is at stake." He added that Republican opposition to the bill is "unconscionable," a strange thing to say since Republicans had already blocked Democrat attempts to take control of elections away from states.

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The Freedom to Vote Act and For the People Act both contained several provisions that are unpopular with the American people including prohibitions on photo ID requirements for voters — a protection that's supported by a majority of American voters.

The Honest Election Project (HEP) which opposed the Freedom to Vote Act responded to the Democrats' failure, calling it a "victory for the American people, the credibility of our elections, and the principles of federalism."