WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)– The U.S. Senate is preparing to take up the S1 voting rights bill.
“The events of the last few months compel us to have this debate now,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
Schumer says the election reform bill would roll back voting measures taken up in Republican states throughout the country.
“These policies have one purpose and one purpose only, making it harder for younger, poorer, non-white and typically Democratic voters to access the ballot,” Schumer said.
“Democrats will continue to insist that S1 is a response to these state laws, but we know it actually predates them,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-K.Y.).
McConnell says Democrats are just pushing partisan issues and calls the voting rights bill a power grab for Democrats.
“The real driving force behind S1 is a disaster to rig the rules of American elections, permanently,” McConnell said.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) opposed the Democratic bill and offered his own changes, such as Voter ID laws and banning partisan gerrymandering. The White House says President Joe Biden sees this as a step forward.
“Incremental steps forward in making voting rights more accessible, making voting more available, is a good thing,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
Some Democrats expressed interest in Manchin’s proposals, but Republicans remain adamant to oppose the bill.