Senate Democrats pledged Tuesday to forge ahead with a likely doomed vote on their sprawling elections and voting bill next week, even as it faces universal opposition from Republicans, as well as from a key senator in their own party.
Democrats have made the elections bill a major focus, touting it as the best way to counteract voting restrictions that have advanced in Republican-controlled statehouses across the U.S. in the wake of Donald Trump’s false claims about a stolen 2020 election. With a vote nearing, a delegation of Texas state legislators met with senators Tuesday to make the case for congressional action.
The legislators talked about their dramatic walkout last month, which effectively blocked Republicans in the Texas legislature from approving new voting limits. Carol Alvarado, a Texas state senator from Houston, said she hoped the visit gave Congress “some fight, some strength.” Democrats gave the group multiple standing ovations.
Yet Sen. Joe Manchin, a key holdout on the elections legislation, did not attend the lunch. And with Republicans united against the measure, Democrats seemed to be careening toward a failed vote next week that is certain to add to the frustrations of liberal activists and others in the party who fear that a chance to safeguard access to the ballot is slipping away.
