Senate Republicans torpedoed the "For the People Act," a federal takeover of elections, on Tuesday night. The legislation received 50 affirmative votes along party lines, with no Republican support. Democrats were unable to overcome the GOP filibuster to move forward with the legislation.
The #CorruptPoliticiansAct provides welfare for politicians with a 6-to-1 match of campaign donations with taxpayer money.
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) June 22, 2021
S. 1 is an unprecedented power grab & a blatant attempt by those who are in power–by the slimmest margin possible–to overhaul & rewrite election laws for all 50 states in one fell swoop. Yesterday, I addressed Democrats’ misnamed “For the People Act” on the #Senate floor. pic.twitter.com/U9KKNPrE20
— Senator Bill Hagerty (@SenatorHagerty) June 22, 2021
S.1 makes election fraud easier to commit & harder to detect by allowing unlimited ballot harvesting, undermining voter ID laws, & making it more difficult to maintain accurate voter lists.
— Richard Shelby (@SenShelby) June 22, 2021
This is a bad bill. I oppose it vehemently.
My full speech:https://t.co/ZRaNBwCYMb
Americans deserve free & fair elections – not a rigged system.
— Jim Risch (@SenatorRisch) June 22, 2021
#S1 is dangerous for democracy.
?Gives states’ authority to the federal government.
— Sen. Kevin Cramer (@SenKevinCramer) June 22, 2021
?Enacts unpopular reforms like ballot harvesting.
?Bans voter ID.
S.1 is a partisan power grab. pic.twitter.com/sUGtXVcdwg
S.1 was written by one party acting alone.
— Senator Roy Blunt (@RoyBlunt) June 22, 2021
S.1 was steered through Congress by one party acting alone.
The danger of such extreme changes being made by such tiny, partisan congressional majorities should be clear to everyone.
MCCONNELL: The biggest lie being told in American politics has been that the states are involved in a systematic effort to suppress the vote. That's not happening. As we all know, we had the biggest voter turnout last year since 1900. pic.twitter.com/wrONnJTJpq
— Senate Republican Communications Center (@SRCC) June 22, 2021
Senate Democrats are pushing a false narrative that S.1 is about voting rights. Do not be fooled. This bill is about Dems grabbing for power, forcing taxpayers to finance political campaigns, and making our elections less secure.
— U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (@SenHydeSmith) June 22, 2021
S.1 is a power grab that would effectively nullify state voter ID laws, mandate public funding of political campaigns, and transform the Federal Election Commission into a partisan body empowered to limit free speech. This is a bad bill, which is why I voted no.
— Senator Pat Toomey (@SenToomey) June 22, 2021
The Republican National Committee (RNC) also slammed S1 as an "unprecedented partisan power grab."
"The Democrats’ S. 1 is an unprecedented partisan power grab that seeks to undermine the sanctity of the ballot by codifying a federal takeover of local elections. The Democrat politicians act seeks to eviscerate widely supported voter ID requirements and use taxpayer dollars to bankroll political campaigns," Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a release. "Americans understand states should run their own elections -- not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, DC. As Democrats continue their assault on election integrity, the Republican Party remains committed to making it easier to vote and harder to cheat."
Notably, Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the vote that caused a major priority of the Biden administration to fail.