On a sinking ship, Democrats in Congress are rushing to propose new federal legislation that would expand the opportunities for electoral mischief. So far, all of their efforts appear to have been in vain. Yet still they plow ahead with their plan to rewrite election law at the federal level. Their bad bills, the first two of which passed the House, are H.R. 1 (“For the People Act”), H.R. 4 (“John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act”), and S. 2747 (“Freedom to Vote Act”), which would expand unverified voting, prohibit requiring photo ID, and destroy election integrity in additional ways.
Ending the 60-vote filibuster in the Senate was a key part of their plan to get these bills through the Senate. Two Democrats, Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), have long opposed eliminating the filibuster rule that prevents merely 50 senators in only one party from passing most kinds of legislation. Manchin has particularly endorsed the need for bipartisanship on major legislation, such as drastic changes in our election procedures. These so-called “conservative Democrats” are not known for standing strong on any particular position for long, but at least for now the filibuster appears to be safe.
It’s essential to block harmful federal election bills, and equally important to enact new laws at the state level to thwart the election chicanery. New York City is beginning this year to allow illegal aliens to vote, and Democrat governors are expected to support similar moves in other areas. Legal challenges should not deter GOP legislators as in the past. A majority on the Supreme Court is expected to affirm state authority over cleaning up their election procedures, regardless of which side benefits.
Provoking battles over bills that would further diminish election integrity may well be a ploy commonly used by Democrats when they know they are in a losing position. They hope that by proffering such wild legislation, conservatives will be content merely to kill the bad bills. Don’t let them play you like that. We must not only kill the bad bills, but pass good bills of our own to secure America’s elections for another generation. Never settle for less.
