Sen. Amy Klobuchar, other Democrats push new voting rights bill

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and other Senate Democrats are charging forward on a new voting bill, but there is no indication they will be able to win Republican support in the chamber, or change the filibuster, to pass the plan.

Yet Klobuchar said in an interview that she views the latest legislation as "a major breakthrough" following negotiations in July and August that resulted in West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a key Democratic swing vote, signing on to the new bill.

"It's the first agreement that we've had on the substance," Klobuchar said. "And you really have to start on an agreement on the substance before you get to the next step."

The downscaled proposal was rolled out last week after an effort to start debate on a more sweeping election overhaul failed on the Senate floor in June due to GOP opposition. The new version, dubbed the Freedom to Vote Act, comes in a year when some GOP-led states tightened voting laws in the wake of former President Donald Trump's widespread false attacks on the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.

https://m.startribune.com/klobuchar-pushes-new-voting-rights-bill/600098542/?clmob=y&c=n