It’s no coincidence that Bennie Thompson (D-CA) was the only Democratic House member to vote against H.R. 1. The bill, also known as the For the People Act of 2021, is election reform legislation that would, among other things, expand the right to vote by mail.
Late Wednesday (March 3), Mississippi Rep. Thompson joined all Republicans in voting against the top priorities of the House Democrats’ proposal, Foxnews reported.
Thompson’s vote was surprising because he and other Democratic members co-sponsored the bill. But Thompson explained Thursday (March 4) that his constituents did not support the election reform proposals, so he chose to side with them rather than his colleagues.
“My constituents oppose the redistricting portion of the bill, as well as the public fund matching portion,” Thompson said in a statement to Fox News. “I will always listen and vote for the good of my constituents.”
The legislation requires states to establish independent redistricting commissions to redraw congressional districts every 10 years to avoid unfairly partisan gerrymandering. The bill also establishes a new public financing system for congressional and presidential elections to encourage small contributions.
The bill caps contributions to candidates at $200 per grassroots voter, with a fund match of 6:1. For example, if a House candidate receives a private donation of $200, he would receive a $1,200 match from the public fund, which would bring the total amount of this contribution to $1,400.
This public match program is funded by a new 4.75 percent surcharge on criminal and civil fines and settlement fees paid to the U.S. government by corporate businesses. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated this week that the new revenue source would provide about $3.2 billion over the next 10 years.
The election reform bill was passed by a vote of 220 to 210. No Republicans voted with Democrats to approve the voter rights overhaul bill, which now heads to the Senate.
The numerical designation of H.R. 1 indicates that it is a top priority for House Democrats. The legislation would also enact statutes on automatic voter registration, restoration of voting rights for felons after they have served their sentences, expansion of early voting rights and expansion of absentee voting rights.
It would also prohibit voter roll purges and partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts, implement new campaign finance rules, and require presidential nominees to release 10 years of tax returns.
H.R. 1 would also target large contributors and dark money in political contributions by requiring more disclosure from campaign contributors and waiving political advertising statements.
The legislation is currently being introduced in the Senate. Since the Senate is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, there is still a long way to go to pass this legislation. Sixty votes are needed to advance this legislation and it will require the support of Republicans.
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