US senators have introduced legislation to reform election laws as concerns grow that Republicans could resort to anti-democratic measures in upcoming elections.
The two bills, introduced on Wednesday by a bipartisan group of senators, would seek to prevent a repeat of former US President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden.
Those efforts have been explored by the January 6 committee in hearings that have highlighted threats to the US democratic process.
“We urge our colleagues in both parties to support these simple, common sense reforms,” a group of seven Democrats and nine Republicans said in a statement.
While several Republican legislators support the legislation, Democrats do not have the 10 Republican votes needed to overcome the filibuster, a rule that enables lawmakers to block legislation that does not have 60 votes in the US Senate.
The legislation would, among other steps, underscore that the vice president’s role in certifying election results is strictly ceremonial.
Trump had pushed his vice president, Mike Pence, to overturn the 2020 election by refusing to certify the results. Pence did not go along with the scheme and earned the scorn of Trump supporters who chanted “Hang Mike Pence” during the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
The two bills, introduced by Democratic Senator Joe Manchin and Republican Senator Susan Collins, also address other issues such as threats against election workers, mail-in...
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