U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) has come out in firm opposition to S.1, which is Senate Democrats’ version of H.R. 1.
The legislation, the so-called “For the People Act,” has been widely criticized by Republicans. The House recently passed H.R. 1 without any GOP votes and with bipartisan opposition; U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) this week said he would not support the measure unless it received bipartisan support.
On Wednesday, the Senate Rules Committee — of which Shelby is a member and former chairman — held a hearing on S.1. While Alabama’s senior senator was unable to attend the meeting, Yellowhammer State native and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was present and asked questions.
Democrats’ H.R. 1 would leave elections more vulnerable to cheating, send taxpayer dollars to subsidize campaigns, and would turn the bipartisan Federal Election Commission into a Democrat-controlled partisan body.
It’s not about protecting voting. It’s about rigging the system. pic.twitter.com/POrUh2bq9H
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) March 24, 2021
On Thursday, Shelby released a statement bashing the legislation as “a blatant power grab in an effort to force a federalized election system on the entire country.”
“Not only would S.1 give unelected, ultraliberal Washington bureaucrats the ability to control how Alabama conducts its elections, but it would open doors to fraud and have a devastating impact on our freedom of speech,” he continued. “Further, S.1 would allow the use of taxpayer dollars for political campaigns. I vehemently oppose this bill and urge every one of my colleagues in Congress to do the same. This legislation would have dangerous implications on the future of our democracy.”
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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