Senators Murkowski, Tester Call For Fair Elections, Healing Broken Senate

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Senate Democrats reached into the bottom of the barrel and found an old rule that allowed senators to stand on the floor and talk about the two voting rights bills. Although many senators went into great detail, Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) make the most sense in perhaps the fewest words.

Senator Tester said that we might remember he has another job. He is a farmer and talked about what he had expected when he came to the Senate. Great debates in the same halls as people before him had done. But he was disappointed. There was no debate great nor small. He had walked into a broken Senate.

The third-generation Montana farmer talked about the craziness of committing a felony by handing someone standing in their voting line in the summer heat a bottle of water. He talked about whether he could stand in those long lines for four, five, six hours. Probably not. He said he complained when they moved his ballot box from three miles to 15 miles away. Tester tweeted:

‘Today, the Senate began debate on the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Our democracy is stronger when we ensure every eligible American’s voice is heard, regardless of who they vote for. I’m urging all of my colleagues to protect voting rights.’

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And as Murkowski spoke, she referred to Senator Tester and the words from a “man of the earth.” Plainspoken. She said they are different in Alaska. She was not exactly sure why. Maybe it had to do with location, maybe the Native Americans. But she agreed, the Senate was just not working. But it could be salvaged.

She voted to impeach Trump and made his enemies list:

Trump wants Lisa Murkowski gone. A voting reform might save her.: The Alaska senator may escape the GOP base’s ire over her impeachment vote, thanks to a ballot measure ending partisan primaries.’

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According to The Christian Science Monitor:

‘Senator Murkowski, the daughter of a former Republican senator and governor, has never been beloved by Alaska’s conservatives. She famously lost the GOP primary in 2010, but went on to wage a successful write-in campaign in the general election, with support from independents and some Democrats. After her impeachment vote against former President Trump last year, Alaska’s Republican Party voted to censure her.’

The Freedom to Vote Act, according to Congress, involves:

  • Voter Registration
    • ‘Expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting)
  • Voting Access
    • Limits removing voters from voter rolls
    • Establishes Election Day as a federal holiday
    • Not restrict voting if convicted of a criminal offense
    • Not restrict voting if convicted of a criminal offense
  • Election Integrity
  • Election Security
  • Campaign Finance
  • Redistricting
    • Prohibits mid-decade redistricting

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021:

  • ‘Establishes new criteria for state and political subdivisions make changes and receive pre-approval from the Department of Justice (DOJ) or U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
  • States must consider “minority groups must pre-clear covered practices before implementation, such as changes to methods of election and redistricting”
  • States and political subdivisions must notify the public of changes to voting practices.
  • The DOJ requires states to provide certain documents or answers to questions for enforcing voting rights.
  • Courts must consider when hearing challenges to voting practices, such as the extent of any history of official voting discrimination in the state.’

Three White Lions podcast, Gloria Christie reads a chapter from her book of the same title. She also writes for the liberal online newspaper The Bipartisan Report. Gloria Christie Report her newsletter for people on the go. Written in her own unique style with a twist of humor in a briefer version of Bipartisan Report. Christie’s Mueller Report Adventures In Bite-Sizes a real-life compelling spy mystery (in process). Find her here on Facebook.