Democrats in the House approved the For the People Act late Wednesday, which would call for same-day voter registration, mail-in voting and limits on removing voters from the voter rolls.
The bill passed by a 220-210 margin.
The legislation would place a prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals and add additional disclaimers to political advertising for federal offices.
The bill also requires candidates for president and vice president to release 10 years of tax returns.
The bill was opposed by Congressional Republicans, who say that the bill would transfer the power to administer elections from the state to the federal government. Republicans also say that the bill does not address their electoral security concerns, even though the 2020 election was deemed the “most secure in American history by Homeland Security and election experts in November.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that President Joe Biden backs the legislation.
“The administration and the President remains committed to protecting the fundamental right to vote and making it easy for all eligible Americans to vote,” Psaki said. “That’s something he talked about on the campaign trail, and he -- that’s why we need to pass reforms like H.R. 1, the For the People Act, and restore the Voting Rights Act.”
The bill moves to the Senate, where a filibuster could prevent the bill from ever receiving a vote. At least 10 Republicans will need to vote to break the filibuster in order for Democrats to bring the bill to a vote.
