President Biden celebrated the passage of the Democrat’s massive election reform bill H.R. 1 in the House last night and said he would absolutely sign it if it manages to pass in the Senate. The sweeping For The People Act of 2021 passed late Wednesday night with a vote of 220 to 210.
No Republicans joined Democrats in favor of the bill.
Fox News reports:
“In the wake of an unprecedented assault on our democracy; a coordinated attempt to ignore, undermine, and undo the will of the American people never before seen in our history; and a new wave of aggressive attacks on voting rights taking place in states across the country, I applaud Speaker Pelosi and the House of Representatives for passing H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2021,” Biden said in a statement Thursday.
“It will rein in the outrageous gerrymandering that distorts our democracy,” Biden said. “It will empower the Justice Department to crack down on laws that curtail voting rights along racial lines. It will reform our campaign finance system to amplify the voices of the people — not the powerful. And it will modernize and secure our future elections against all manner of threats.”
The bill would create automatic voter registration across the country and allow felonss who have served their sentences to vote. The bill would also expand early voting and enhance absentee voting by simplifying voting by mail.
A major pillar of the legislation is setting up a new public financing system for congressional and presidential elections to incentivize small-dollar donations. The legislation would establish a 6:1 match using taxpayer money for each grassroots contribution to a candidate up to $200.
The bill also included a shot at Trump, requiring presidents to disclose their tax returns.
Republicans have fiercely opposed the bill calling it “reckless” and obviously partisan. [Related: Mike Pence Addresses 2020 Election ‘Irregularities’ for the First Time Since Leaving White House]