Senate Dems Strike Deal for Vote on Their Election Overhaul Bill; Dem-Backed Voting Rights Bill Faces Legal Threat from 23 States: 'Unnecessary but also unconstitutional'; Senate Will Debate New Voter Legislation as Soon as Next Week, and related stories

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Senate Dems strike deal for vote on their election overhaul bill:

Senate Democrats on Tuesday announced a deal clinching crucial support from Sen. Joe Manchin III for an election overhaul bill, setting up a vote on the legislation that would override new voting laws in Republican-run states.

The compromise unites all Senate Democrats behind a measure to set federal standards on elections. It stops states from requiring driver’s licenses for voter ID laws and instead allows alternative proof of identity such as a signed statement or a third-party vouching for ones’ identity.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer said he will bring the bill up for a vote as soon as next week.

Mr. Manchin of West Virginia, the most conservative Democrat in the upper chamber, is trying to muster Republican support for the measure, but it is doubtful he will get the 10 Republican votes needed to avert a filibuster. ---->READ MORE HERE

AP Photo/Darron Cummings

Dem-backed voting rights bill faces legal threat from 23 states: 'Unnecessary but also unconstitutional':

A coalition of 23 state attorneys general is sending a letter to congressional leaders Tuesday threatening to sue to prevent the implementation of a Democrat-backed voting bill should it become law.

The group, led by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, says H.R. 4, named the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, is "a misguided, clumsy, and heavy-handed effort to circumvent Supreme Court decisions, state sovereignty, and the will of the people."

The attorneys general in the letter rail against the fact the law would reestablish federal preclearance for state election laws and threaten to "aggressively" fight against it should it become law.

"The bill, as introduced, would allow the United States Department of Justice to usurp the authority states rightly possess over their own elections, essentially federalizing the election system," the letter says.

"H.R. 4 seeks to flip this Constitutional mandate on its head, turning the Department of Justice into a federal ‘election czar,’ wielding the power to challenge any new or existing election law based on the whims of the party in power and its desire to manipulate election laws to increase its chances to remain in power," the letter adds --->READ MORE HERE

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+++++Senate will debate new voter legislation as soon as next week+++++

Senate Democrats unveil new voting rights bill

Democrats unveil voting rights compromise bill

Revised Democratic voting bill drops controversial provisions, tweaks others as pressure for action mounts

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