Voting rights fight heads to Senate with committee debate

Senate Democrats are moving ahead this week with a sweeping proposal to rewrite US election laws -- a longshot bid meant to counteract the voter restrictions Republicans have passed at the state level.

The For the People Act, a version of which has already passed the Democrat-controlled House and is set for debate in the Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday, faces steep odds in the Senate. The legislation rewrites federal campaign finance laws, set out new ethics requirements for the President and Supreme Court justices and makes broad changes in election administration, from registration to early voting. It has garnered no GOP support, ensuring it won't overcome the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster fight. And it has been met with hesitation by some Democrats, including West Virginia Sen. Joe Machin, who have shown little appetite to gut the filibuster and propel the bill forward. But the pressure has grown on Democrats to take action as Republicans in battleground states, including Georgia, Florida and Arizona, passed new voting restrictions into law this year, with dozens of other states considering some type limitations on voting. Tuesday's Senate committee hearing offers Democrats an opportunity to rail against the recent flood of voting restrictions, while providing an opening for more liberal members to make the case for eliminating the filibuster.