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McConnell cracks door to Electoral Count Act reform
“It obviously has some flaws. And it is worth, I think, discussing,” the Senate minority leader said Wednesday.
www.politico.com
why would anyone not be on board? excerpts:
The discussions on changing the Electoral Count Act to make it harder for lawmakers to derail election certifications are in their earliest stages in the Senate. And Schumer scoffed at the possibility of a small-ball deal on Wednesday, the day before the Jan. 6 anniversary.
“The Electoral Count Act [reform] says you can rig the elections anyway you want and then we’ll count it accurately,” Schumer said in an interview. He said he has “very little hope” for a bipartisan deal that includes the more comprehensive reforms his party is seeking to campaign finance and voter access. “We’ve tried for four months and got no support.”
Republicans would view any discussion of the Electoral Count Act as separate from Schumer's Democratic-only effort and would likely wait for that to conclude before engaging with Democrats. Yet Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said "there have been some expressions of interest" among Republicans with narrowing Congress or the vice president's ability to change the election results.
"The role of the vice president needs to be codified, so it's clear what that is," Thune said. "There's some question about how many senators or House members it ought to take to object before it triggers a vote."
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said because he’s “an optimist” there’s some merit to at least engaging Republicans on the question of the Electoral Count Act. While he prefers far more sweeping reforms, he said Republicans simply just do not see eye-to-eye with Democrats on expanding voter access.
“If there remains any path forward on making changes to how we protect the Electoral College process and how we ensure a free and fair vote, I’m open to the conversation,” Coons said in an interview. He described his talks with Republicans “as just the tiniest door crack.”