What’s in the “Voting Rights” Bill?
The actions by some states in 2021 to address election protocols that were ‘bent’ in the throes of COVID-19 voting variations in 2020 resulted in a number of states relooking at and revising their voting laws.
As that happened, the Congressional Democrats crafted a bill to address the ‘crisis’ occurring in some states and are calling it “For the People Act of 2021.”
We’ll spend the rest of this piece simply laying out the major provisions of what’s in that bill.
Congress has the authority under the Constitution to determine the “time, places and manner” of congressional elections, but literally has no power over presidential elections. The current federal law limits voting to citizens, requires voters to meet a state’s residency requirements, requires voters to be 18 years old and to be registered to vote by a state’s registration deadline.
H.R.1 and S.R.-1 are all too typical political non-solutions to a non-crisis.
The core of the bill would force every state to adopt automatic voter registration, same-day registration, no-excuse absentee balloting and early in-person voting, among other mandates.
Automatic Voter Registration
The new law would require states to automatically register people to vote when they get a driver’s license or have any financial contact with a state or its counties/parishes. Since some states are issuing driver’s licenses to non-citizens, it would require states and/or its subunits to maintain two separate, clean, voter registration rolls, and non-registration (non-citizen) lists. It’s difficult enough now to keep up-to-date registration rolls in a mobile society.
Same Day Registration
It would require states to accommodate same day registration for wannabee voters. So, poll workers would have an added task for which additional training, expense, and time it takes to stand in line to vote that would be necessary in most states.
Voter ID
It would require that anyone without an ID could present a sworn statement by a third party, “…attesting to the individual’s identity and attesting that the individual is eligible to vote in the [federal] election.”
If voter ID is supposedly so difficult for some ‘minorities,’ why doesn’t Congress pass a law to ensure every citizen is issued a photo ID rather than make provisions not to have one for voting when one is needed for just about everything else? (See elaboration on this point in next week’s blog.)
Early Voting and No-Excuse Absentee Ballots
In addition to making election day a federal holiday, it would require each state to open its polls 15 days in advance of election day. Most states already have early voting protocols and do not require an excuse to receive an absentee ballot. These are not issues for states and voters.
The bill would mandate drop-off boxes for mail ballots and would allow voters to designate another person to drop off their mail ballots on their behalf. So, states/counties would be required to set up separate boxes for ballots instead of absentee voters simply putting their ballots in the US mail, and would allow ballot “harvesting” whereby individuals could pick up ballots and turn (or not turn) them in. Such provisions do not enhance election confidence and open the door to fraud and manipulation.
Felon Requirement
It would mandate restoration of voting rights to felons who have already served their sentences. Many states, including Florida, already allow this. Again, a non-issue.
Public Financing of Candidates
The bill would create a new “Freedom From Influence Fund” whereby donations to congressional candidates would by multiplied by 6, funded by taxpayers, supposedly limited to ‘small’ donations.
This provision is not a ‘For the People’ provision but a ‘For the Politician’ one.
I, for one, do not want my taxes used for candidates in other states, or in mine, if I do want to support any candidate for any reason.
Federal Takeover of Redistricting
It would create federal panels to draw new and/or revised congressional districts within states. While there can be gerrymandering with this responsibility currently in the hands of most state legislatures, at least it is currently done by elected or appointed people within the states and can be challenged in state courts – which has happened numerous times – and fixed. A federal takeover of drawing congressional districts (by bureaucrats) does not make the situation better ‘For the People.’
A Few Other Provisions
- The bill would also make more political organizations disclose their donors.
- It would also require presidential candidates to release their tax returns. That provision is clearly beyond what’s in the Constitution.
- It would change the structure of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) by having an odd number of commissioners in an effort to break partisan gridlock in enforcing campaign finance violations.
- It would require names on mail ballots returned as “not-deliverable” remain on the registered list.
The case that was made for the bill is that democracy depends on its passage.
Having read a summary of the major provisions as outlined here, you can agree that statement is at best a myth. Voters were/are not being turned aside in droves by onerous restrictions in the states. Bill supporters say new national minimum standards are needed to ensure access to the polls. Except, numerous, major provisions are not about voter access at all.
The fact that the 2020 national presidential election saw the highest percentage voter turnout since 1900 does not support the argument that states have erected unfair barriers to voting and unreasonable voter restrictions – then or now. If any state did that it can be corrected by the federal court system.
The Constitution is mum on presidential elections, and clearly gives the bulk of responsibilities for national elections to the states. Congress would usurp that responsibility under this law.
The House version of the bill passed 220-210 with no Republican support.
There was/is no bipartisan support for the bill in the current 50-50 Senate.
The bill represents a federal takeover of congressional and presidential elections – for no reason and without Constitutional backing.
Why would the country want this unwelcome, unnecessary intrusion on state’s elections protocols?
One thing ‘We the People’ don’t need is more federal government in our lives.
Thank Allah it’s likely DOA.
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Have a great and prosperous week.
Hug somebody.
References:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/whats-in-the-democrats-voting-rights-bill/ar-BB1fvH0T
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S4-C1-1-1-1-2/ALDE_00001037/
https://www.factcheck.org/2021/03/three-false-claims-about-the-federal-voting-rights-bill/
SPIDER Bites
Last Monday was the MLK holiday. We all want to see his “dream” come true. “Equity” was not part of that dream – equality was.
Perhaps President Biden should re-read that dream speech. He just can’t seem to get in step with the citizenry. It appears he’s taking his cues from the wrong people. “Woke-ism” ideology isn’t working – it’s actually anti-unity and ant-equality. It’s a lonely spot to be in when as a leader you look behind and see nobody following. But it’s not his fault, it’s the followers that have the problem! Right.
A Paducah, KY native, Cmdr. Billie J. Farrell, took command of the USS Constitution last week. She will oversee a 75 member staff (crew) of historians, archivists, librarians, museum specialists, and naval personnel. The 224-year-old frigate is the world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat. The undefeated, “Old Cannonballs” got that nickname in the War of 1812 when English cannonballs were seen bouncing off her. Retired in 1881, she’s now a designated museum ship harbored in Boston but still able to sail as it did last in 2012 – and part of the Naval History & Heritage Command unit. There are 9 other Navy Museums including the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor. “Anchors Away!”
Increasingly, the CDC’s controversial COVID guidance is being exposed as contradictory, arbitrary, or shaped by political expediency. Public health? What’s that? Oh, it’s the ‘science.’ Not.
Last week the UK lifted all COVID mandates, including mask wearing. England is way ahead of our leaders and bureaucrats. They’re following the data (science).
The omicron variant’s rapid spread among both the vaccinated and unvaccinated have shattered the illusion that the virus can somehow be mandated into submission. Yet, states like NY and CA – and our President – still insist on vaccine mandates/restrictions. Even our Supreme Court left mandated masks for air travel intact last Tuesday. We’re not following the science.
A Federal court stopped the mandate that federal employees, including the military, requiring them to be vaccinated or be fired.
Here’s a word you can add to your vocabulary: abiogenesis. It’s the scientific theory of how ‘life’ was created from nonliving molecules. They’ve been trying for a century to replicate it in labs – but without success. That non-success is a plank for the creationists and a belief in God. Life is defined as the ability of molecules to self-replicate.
Oil futures hit the $86-mark last week. It was moving up from $40 in January 2021 and hit $54 per barrel by that month’s end. So, that’s more than double the price/cost in one year. Gasoline was selling for $2.04/gal a year ago. BTW, ‘core inflation’ numbers – the most used – exclude food and energy prices. Our President cut the domestic supply of oil and gas his 1st day in office, and this is what is happening in now (again) oil dependent America.
The stock market abruptly realized last week that the Fed might ‘aggressively’ increase interest rates to slow down inflation soon – maybe even ½ to 1 point initially. Knowing the Fed is late in acting, the hikes will likely be greater than a more placid quarter point at-a-time approach. It could be a wild financial ride this year for investors.
