As Voter Restrictions Advance, GOPers Plan To Claim S1 Is ‘Policy In Search Of A Problem’

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 13: U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO)(Photo by Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)
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Get ready. Senate Republicans plan to attack S1, the voting rights package, from all directions: it’s partisan, it’s pointless, it makes committing voting fraud easier.

Their list of talking points prepared ahead of Tuesday’s bill markup hearing also warns their Democratic counterparts not to “permanently change the nature of the Senate” — aka blow up the legislative filibuster — “to ram it through.” Politico first obtained the document.

The hearing is high profile enough that both Senate Leaders Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are slated to make appearances.

While the messaging document frames S1 as a wholly unnecessary, partisan piece of legislation to keep Democrats in power, advocates of the bill point out that it’s a critical safety net amid the nationwide push of restrictive voting bills from GOP legislatures.

There’s still some intra-Democratic debate over the proposal though, with members like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) preferring a more targeted and narrow voting rights bill named for the late Rep. John Lewis (D-GA). Committee chair Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) intends to introduce an amendment to tweak the legislation and address some concerns from election administrators.

Read the GOP talking points here:

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Notable Replies

  1. I’ve been ready since the last voting rights legislation expired

  2. Can you say Arizona Election Fraudit?

    Sure, I knew you could…

  3. I certainly hope that a Dem Senator asks why in FL, AZ, and GA where Republicans have held the state legislatures for years, were responsible for some of the methods of voting in their states, but now are not acceptable because of____________?
    I think it was Rep. Banks R-IN that voiced his displeasure that county BOEs allowed changes to how to vote------because of a G-D Global Pandemic. I wish some reporter takes him to task on his comments to Chris Wallace on the Sunday show. I want his, and others that have expressed similar talking points, feet to the fire. Why should any voter have to risk their life, or risk getting sick just to vote?

  4. What I don’t get is why they haven’t proposed legislation to check all ballots for bamboo fibers before accepting the vote.
    Isn’t it time someone stood up to Jina and its attempts to manipulate our government?

  5. One side wants to blow up the filibuster. The other side wants to blow up the capitol.

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