Schumer and McConnell spar over federal voting rights legislation
“It’s one of the most despicable things I have seen in all my years,” said Schumer. “Shame, shame, shame.”
“Instead of doing what you should be doing when you lose an election in a democracy — attempting to win over those voters in the next election — Republicans instead are trying to disenfranchise those voters. Shame on them,” the New York Democrat added.
McConnell, for his part, said that the federal legislation needs scrutiny, echoing Republican claims that the package represents a federal power grab that Democrats are advancing in an effort to gain an advantage in elections.
“This proposal needs all the scrutiny it can get, and I’m glad we’re all here to give it about scrutiny,” the Kentucky Republican said.
McConnell said the legislation would “forcibly rewrite the election laws in all 50 states.”
Schumer defended the role of the federal government in enacting election legislation, pointing to the passage of the Voting Rights Act and other major voting bills.
“The truth is that we have passed scores of federal election laws and amended our Constitution to guarantee the franchise to our citizens, often bipartisan,” he said.
“From here in Washington, popular policies like voter ID requirements would be banned unless states neutered them with loopholes. Meanwhile, unpopular and absurd practices like ballot harvesting where paid political operatives can show up carrying stocks of other people’s ballots, would not just be allowed, it would be mandatory. Washington would mandate that every state and county in America adopt same day voter registration with minimal safeguards,” McConnell said. “But it would make it incredibly difficult for states and counties to conduct routine voter list maintenance, like removing dead people and people who don’t live there any longer.”
McConnell said the legislation is “clearly an effort by one party to rewrite the rules of our political system, but even more immediately it would create an implementation nightmare.”
CNN’s David Wright, Fredreka Schouten, Daniella Diaz and Kristin Wilson contributed to this report.
