HR1 Voting Rights Act

Adam Serwer's US election piece from 2016 starts with a very interesting fact:

Between 1870 and 1901, there were 20 black representatives in Congress and two black United States senators. Between 1901 and 1929, there were none.

This is generally attributed to the Jim Crow laws particularly related to voting.

Since the start of the 2020 election, there are a large number of new state bills related to restricting voting, the Brennan Center lists up to February. Once a state has enacted stringent rules for voting, removing those rules is not in the interest of those in power.

The federal HR 1 bill has several features:

  • it eliminates partisan gerrymandering
  • improves election security by requiring a physical paper trail for each ballot, requires states to accept absentee and early voting for federal elections
  • adds restrictions on Corporate PACs, reducing money in politics

The Wikipedia page has an excellent summary. When I contacted my congressman Rodney Davis about this bill, he sent the following:

Thank you for contacting me regarding your support for H.R. 1, the For the People Act. I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts on this important issue.

As your Member of Congress, it is part of my constitutional responsibility to ensure fair elections. Campaign finance reform should not be partisan. However, H.R. 1 lacks the bipartisan compromise necessary for lasting change and contains provisions harmful to our democracy.

Our campaign finance laws need be reviewed, yet H.R. 1 takes it too far by publicly subsidizing campaigns. Under H.R. 1, the federal government would provide a 6 to 1 match on campaign contributions up to $200. This means that last year taxpayers would have provided my campaign with nearly $1 million of your money, regardless of your support. For this reason alone, H.R. 1 is unacceptable.

I believe Republicans and Democrats alike want to ensure every person who is eligible has the opportunity to cast a vote. I also believe it is imperative we focus on ensuring our voter registration data throughout the country is secure. For this reason, I have communicated with the Illinois State Board of Elections, to give them the support and resources necessary to secure future elections. However, H.R. 1 would allow the federal government to take over local elections and centralize all data online, making elections more vulnerable to foreign interference.

For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to work in a bipartisan manner on the issue of election reform and to re-engage with Republicans to provide lasting change. I appreciate your views on this matter. Please be assured, I will keep your thoughts in mind for future legislation on this issue in the House of Representatives.

Rep. Davis statement on subsidizing campaign with tax dollars is false, it is funded from fines and penalties from bank and corporation crime. This shows another reason why H.R.1 is needed - as long as large-dollar donors aren't linked to the lies their politicians tell, they have a pay-to-play government (this is supported by a New Yorker article).

H.R.1 benefits

Posted by John Borden at 25 March 2021, 2:33 am link