Senate panel deadlocks in vote on sweeping elections bill
By Jordain Carney - 05/11/21 06:57 PM EDT
A key Senate panel deadlocked Tuesday on sweeping Democratic legislation to overhaul elections after an hours-long, often heated debate.
The Senate Rules Committee evenly split 9-9 on the For the People Act, the top legislative priority for Democrats heading into the 2022 election.
Though the tie means Democrats aren't able to formally advance the bill to the floor, that won't stop the party from moving forward with it.
Democrats have multiple options for how to ultimately bring the election reform bill up for a vote in the Senate, something Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has vowed to do.
"With respect and some earnest debate, I think a lot of people have learned things today. I hope that will guide as we go forward. ... We must get this bill passed," Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the chairwoman of the panel, said shortly before the vote.
"This is not the last you will hear. ... This is the beginning," Klobuchar added.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/552993-senate-panel-deadlocks-in-vote-on-sweeping-elections-bill
