Senate Republicans Tuesday blocked sweeping legislation on election and campaign finance reforms that Democrats said is crucial to ensuring voting rights and saving democracy but the GOP blasted as a partisan power grab. The "For the People Act" needed 60 votes to clear a procedural vote in the Senate Tuesday, but Republicans filibustered and killed the legislation from advancing to debate. No Republicans joined with the 50 Democrats on the motion to proceed. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Republicans won't stand for Democrats' attempt to impose new voting standards on states that would "rig" elections in their favor. He called the substance of the nearly 900-page bill "rotten" to its core.
Republicans took issue with imposing federal standards on state elections that they said would weaken state ID requirements. They also oppose starting a new public financing system for congressional elections and politicizing the Federal Elections Commission that enforces campaign finance laws.
Even GOP moderate Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she couldn't support the "partisan federal takeover of the election system." In a floor speech, she said she'd back elements of the bill and will co-sponsor the separate John Lewis Voting Rights Act, but can't back Democrats' "one-size-fits-all" reforms. | 
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