JUDY WOODRUFF: It is a crucial moment for one of the most closely watched bills working
its way through the U.S. Congress.
The For the People Act is Democrats' voting rights and campaign reform measure. Already
passed by the House, today, it met a critical and high-powered Senate committee test.
Lisa Desjardins reports.
LISA DESJARDINS: Usually uneventful...
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): I call this meeting to order.
LISA DESJARDINS: ... today, the Senate Rules Committee was the hub of the highest-stakes
political fight over voting itself and whether to expand voting access in all 50 states with
more early voting, absentees and mail voting, or to restrict those ideas out of concern
for fraud.
Democrats are pushing a bill, the For the People Act, to rewrite many aspects of elections,
this as 11 states have passed new laws of varying degrees that tighten ballot scrutiny
and decrease voting access, some shortening timelines for early or absentee voting, some
stepping up voter I.D. requirements. A 12th state, Texas, is debating a new voting law
this week.
Democrats see oppression.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR: These bills that are moving in state capitols across America are not empty
threats. They are real efforts to stop people from voting.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Don't tell us these laws are about voter fraud. You are more likely
in America to be struck by lightning than commit voter fraud.
LISA DESJARDINS: Rare testimony from Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, followed by equally
rare committee rebuttal by Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): This legislation would let Washington Democrats dictate the
terms of their own reelection races by rewriting all 50 states' election law. Let's call it
what it is. Put aside the flowery language. This is a partisan effort to take over how
you do, how you conduct elections in our country.
LISA DESJARDINS: A clear picture that both parties see this as a fight over power and
who determines it.
House Democrats passed the For the People Act and sent it to the Senate in March. It
requires two weeks of early voting in all states. It also tackles campaign law, requiring
far more donor disclosure, and opens up public financing of campaigns.
Republicans particularly dislike that it allows for absentee ballot collection, which they
call harvesting, in all states, but that was not the only sharp topic.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): I believe it is the intent of this bill to register to vote millions
of illegal aliens for the purpose of diluting the vote of American citizens.
LISA DESJARDINS: Senator Ted Cruz raised a claim echoed in conservative media, that the
bill is itself an attempt at voter fraud. Democrats pushed back forcefully, but simply,
by asking for evidence.
SEN. JEFF MERKLEY (D-OR): Do you have any studies you want to present for the record
that document extensive mistakes being made?
SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): I'd like to again offer you the opportunity, in good faith,
Senator Cruz, to present any evidence for the record to this committee that in any of
these states where this policy exists, there's any widespread registration or voting by people
who should not be eligible to vote.
LISA DESJARDINS: But there was also real civil engagement, like over the Federal Election
Commission, split evenly between the parties now. Democrats say it is paralyzed.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR: Right, now we have a dysfunctional Federal Election Commission. Everyone knows
that.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL: You're assuming that because, frequently, the FEC differs, that,
somehow, it's dysfunctional.
LISA DESJARDINS: Or even over the big topic here, the reality or not of voter fraud.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL: In my state in 2014, we had three people convicted of vote buying
and fraudulent use of absentee ballots, since 2010, 16 convicted of vote buying. I just
want to make the point that, when we are talking about fraud, it is not the fact that this
is a nonexistent problem.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR: To respond to that, we know how exceedingly rare this fraud is. And
I do not think that that excuse of fraud should be used to make it hard for everyone else
to vote.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And Lisa joins me now.
So, Lisa, this hearing has been going on since this morning, going on all day. Tell us where
this measure stands in the committee and in the Senate overall.
LISA DESJARDINS: Our team has been watching this closely, and I have been talking to my
sources in and out of the committee room.
Here is the situation with this very important debate happening. With this bill, Judy, Democrats
have two problems. One is Republicans. So far, there is not a single Republican expressing
even any warmth to what they see in this bill so far. The other problem is a single Democrat;
49 Senate Democrats can signed on to this bill. The one who has not, Joe Manchin of
West Virginia, a name we talk about a lot on this show.
Now, Manchin has not said he is against the bill. Democrats do need him to sign on, though,
in order for this to move forward, because here is what is going on. Usually, in the
committee process, committees can move bills that the majority favors Democrats.
But here's a strange situation. Senate Rules Committee is -- has nine members who are Republican
and nine who are Democrats. We expect within minutes, when the final vote is taken today
by this committee, that this vote will be a tie, 9-9. And, therefore, the bill technically
won't be able to move forward. Democrats will have to move around that and move it to the
floor using special rules that they issued during this 50/50 Senate.
But, to do that, they need every Democratic senator to get on board. So we're seeing negotiations
behind the scenes with Joe Manchin, who has some concerns about what this means for states.
And, in fact, Democrats now in the Senate are changing this bill to give states more
flexibility.
Rural states have different needs than states with less -- fewer rural areas. So I think
we're going to see this bill change a little bit, a lot of negotiations with Manchin and
others. Democrats still would like to get some Republicans on board. Republicans like
some aspects of this bill, but not many.
And Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, Judy, has said he will have a vote on this
bill this year. So, even if he doesn't have the votes, we will see where everyone on the
Senate stands on this important issue. We don't know when yet. We know he'd like to
do it before September.
We will see.
JUDY WOODRUFF: No question about it, important bill, so many people watching this.
Lisa, it has enormous consequences. And if there are changes in the Senate, of course,
then it has to go back to the House, but -- so, still a lot to be determined.
Lisa Desjardins watching it all day long for us and into the night.
Thank you, Lisa.