Opinion: Democrats' attempts to pass voting bills are just a distraction

Op-Ed

Dysfunction in Washington is reaching an all-time high. Democrats spent months trying to pass a socialist reform bill that would further embed a culture of government dependency in our country. Having failed, they quickly turned their attention to another "suddenly urgent" issue, declaring recently passed state election laws as "Jim Crow 2.0."

On Jan. 19, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer went full steam ahead with his attempts to blow up the Senate filibuster rules in order to pass so-called "voting rights" legislation. While it goes without saying that every registered voter in this country should be able to cast a ballot for the candidate of his or her choosing, these bills are designed to be a federal takeover of our elections that change the rules of voting to benefit Democrats and help them ram through their radical agenda.

The truth is, President Joe Biden and his administration have failed at every turn. This futile attempt to destroy decades of historical precedent to energize the Democratic base is simply a distraction from Biden's failing agenda and record-low approval ratings. Two Democrats even went on the record to say they would not support changing the filibuster rules, so when Schumer fell short of 50 votes, it was all for naught. Rather than making any attempt at bipartisanship, this was just another political and policy failure for Biden to add to his already long and ever-growing list.

When you dive deep into the legislation the Democrats are pushing, it does not take long to realize that: 1) They are misleading the American people; 2) their assertions are based on the false premise of active voter suppression in conservative states; and 3) how truly damaging these bills would be to our electoral process.

These bills would create a one-size-fits-all election system that would strip away important election integrity safeguards implemented by individual states. These federal mandates would include a ban on Voter ID laws, but require automatic voter registration and a ballot receipt deadline seven days after an election. The bills also would include a 6:1 funding match to any political contributions of $200 or less in congressional campaigns--meaning for every $200, the federal government would take upwards of $1,200 of your tax dollars to finance political campaigns. This would ensure millions of taxpayer dollars reached the likes of Nancy Pelosi and AOC's campaign accounts.

Conservatives like myself believe that one of the most impactful things we can do in this country is ensure that it is easy to vote and hard to cheat. We believe in common-sense concepts like requiring a photo ID to vote; such IDs are free to every registered voter in my home state of South Carolina. Democrats are fundamentally opposed to voter ID laws, yet in our nation's capital, a beacon of freedom around the world, the liberal mayor of Washington, D.C., is requiring people to present a photo ID and their vaccination cards just to enter a restaurant!

Conservatives also believe that ballot harvesting -- the practice in which political operatives collect absentee ballots from voters' homes and drop them off at a polling place -- should be outlawed. But when Republican legislatures put forth proposals that outlaw the practice, such proposals are declared oppressive by the left.

Are New Jersey's laws limiting the practice of ballot harvesting also oppressing voters? In New York, voters are given nine days of early voting. But the recently passed Georgia law providing at least 17 days with the option of two additional Sundays was "oppressive?" The hypocrisy is absolutely stunning, but it is something we know all too well from this Democratic majority.

The 2020 election saw the highest turnout rate in 120 years, and according to Pew Research Center, 94% of voters say it is easy to vote. There is no widespread "voter suppression" issue in this country. When Biden says this is Jim Crow 2.0, he has no ground to stand on. And as he decries the new voting laws in Georgia, he should remember that state now has more early voting days than his home state of Delaware. For Democrats, it is only about grandstanding and election laws in red states. Remember this come November.

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