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President Biden is expected to target new election bills in states across the country that administration officials say are erecting new barriers to voting, as well as Supreme Court rulings they say have weakened tools federal governments to fight “regressive election laws,” in a franchise-focused speech in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
The president’s speech on Tuesday is expected to expose the “moral case” of the right to vote, amid what administration officials have called “disturbing action on voting,” claiming an “alarming number of states”, like Georgia, Florida, Iowa, Montana, Kansas, and Arkansas are introducing new ballot bills that would create ballot barriers.
GEORGIA’S SECRETARY OF STATE CALLS DOJ VOTING PROCEDURE FOR ‘POLITICAL CUP’, STATE SAYS ‘PREVALUATE’ IN COURT
Biden’s speech in Philadelphia, which will be delivered at the National Constitution Center, is meant to be the start of some sort of public pressure campaign, White House aides have said, even though legislative options to block voting restrictions face significant obstacles.
“He will set out the moral reasons why denying the right to vote is a form of repression and a form of silencing,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday. “He will redouble his commitment to use all the tools at his disposal to continue to fight to protect the fundamental right of Americans to vote against the onslaught of voter suppression laws.”
Psaki said Biden would pledge to “overcome the worst challenge for our democracy since the Civil War.” But attendees suggested that his speech would not contain many new proposals.
President Joe Biden boards Air Force One for a trip to Philadelphia to speak on voting rights, Tuesday, July 13, 2021, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)
Congressional Democrats have attempted to respond with a sweeping federal voting and election bill that Senate Republicans have blocked. Most Republicans also rejected a separate bill, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would reinstate sections of the voting rights law that the Supreme Court weakened.
These roadblocks put more emphasis on Senate rules on filibustering, which, if left in place, would appear to be an insurmountable roadblock, requiring 60 votes in the equally divided 100-member chamber to even evoke controversial legislation. Republicans were unanimous in opposing the elimination of filibuster, and it would take elimination or at least amendment for the bills to have a chance to pass.
DOJ SUES GEORGIA OVER STATE VOTING ACT
White House aides said Biden strongly supports both laws, saying HR 1, in particular, will set some basic national standards for voting in federal elections, including early voting, postal voting and registration. modernized voters. White House advisers also said the president supports restricting gerrymandering as states draw new district maps and reform campaign finance and basic ethical rules for federal officials.
As for Biden’s unilateral voting actions, in March he signed a whole-of-government executive order directing agencies to determine how they could better disseminate voting information and increase opportunities to participate in the electoral process. The White House said it was leading an interagency process to ensure full implementation.
The President also appointed Vice President Harris to lead a fight for voting rights in the public arena, named “pioneer leaders” with experience in voting rights in the Department of Justice, including Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke , and called for a 16% increase in funding for the DOJ Civil Rights Division in the budget.
Biden is expected to speak on Texas, after state Democrats moved to block a Republican bill that would tighten voting restrictions. Texas Democrats traveled to Washington in the middle of a special legislative session, which will end early next month.
“Once they get back to the state, they’ll be arrested and brought back to Capitol Hill and we’ll be doing business,” Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott said Monday.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department last month filed a lawsuit against the state of Georgia challenging several provisions of the state’s new election law.
OFFICIALS IN GEORGIA FALL BACK TO DOJ’S ‘POLITICAL ENLIGHTNESS’ PROCEDURE AGAINST STATE ELECTION LAW
Provisions the DOJ will target include a ban on government entities distributing unsolicited mail ballots; fines imposed on civic groups, places of worship and rights organizations for distributing ballots by follow-up mail; and shorten postal voting deadlines to 11 days before election day.
Fox News has learned that Texas, Alabama, Florida and Arizona may soon face Department of Justice lawsuits over their new election laws.
Republicans in Georgia and Texas are calling the lawsuits and threats of legal action “political hits” and vowing to fight to protect their states’ election laws.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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