When he was inaugurated, Joe Biden had sworn he would try to work with the opposition. On Tuesday, Republicans kindly reminded him that he had no intention of making it easier for him by blocking the electoral reform project. While a majority of 60 senators out of 100 was necessary to avoid a fatal parliamentary obstruction, the vote to open the debates ended at 50-50, each camp braced on its positions.
Pushed by the Democrats and Joe Biden, the bill, called For the People Act, wanted to facilitate access to the ballot boxes by imposing certain measures on all states, in particular on early voting and by mail. The Democrats assured that it was a question of “protecting democracy” after a bitterly disputed November election before the courts and then the assault on Capitol Hill. The Republicans, for their part, replied that they wanted to respect the constitution and let each state organize its ballot, denouncing the “risk of fraud”, in particular on the collection of ballots by third parties (“ballot harvesting”).
Mitch McConnell does not give up
In practice, both camps have hardened the line. Democrats hoped to expand postal voting, which was very favorable to them in the midst of the pandemic in November, especially among minorities. Republicans want to limit it because the heart of their electorate generally lives in neighborhoods where they do not have to queue for several hours to vote.
The new American president supported this project, necessary according to him to counter the “absolutely unprecedented” attacks against the right to vote of minorities. “Democracy is in danger here in America”, hammered Tuesday the White House in a statement. “Donald Trump’s big lie has spread like a cancer” among Republicans, had thundered earlier in the hemicycle the leader of the Democratic senators Chuck Schumer.
For the leader of the Republican senators Mitch McConnell, the reform project is only an “attempt” by the Democrats “to tip all the American elections in their favor forever”. “A federal takeover of the elections that divides,” added Mitt Romney.
McConnell also denounced those among Democrats who call for the pulverization of the rule of fillibuster requiring 60 votes to overcome procedural votes, before reaching the final simple majority vote (51). An option which remains however very unlikely to this day, since several Democrats are also opposed to it.