• Home
  • Opinion
  • Quizzes
  • Redistricting
  • Sections
  • About Us
  • Voting
  • Events
  • Civic Ed
  • Campaign Finance
  • Directory
  • Election Dissection
  • Fact Check
  • Glossary
  • Independent Voter News
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Subscriptions
  • Log in
Leveraging Our Differences
  • news & opinion
    • Big Picture
      • Civic Ed
      • Ethics
      • Leadership
      • Leveraging big ideas
      • Media
    • Business & Democracy
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Impact Investment
      • Innovation & Incubation
      • Small Businesses
      • Stakeholder Capitalism
    • Elections
      • Campaign Finance
      • Independent Voter News
      • Redistricting
      • Voting
    • Government
      • Balance of Power
      • Budgeting
      • Congress
      • Judicial
      • Local
      • State
      • White House
    • Justice
      • Accountability
      • Anti-corruption
      • Budget equity
    • Columns
      • Beyond Right and Left
      • Civic Soul
      • Congress at a Crossroads
      • Cross-Partisan Visions
      • Democracy Pie
      • Our Freedom
  • Pop Culture
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
  • events
  • About
      • Mission
      • Advisory Board
      • Staff
      • Contact Us
Sign Up
  1. Home>
  2. Big Picture>
  3. hr 1>

Public support for HR 1 not reflected in Congress' one-sided fight for reform

Sara Swann
https://twitter.com/saramswann?lang=en
January 22, 2021
Chuck Schumer

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has made democracy reform a top legislative priority for the Senate.

Melina Mara/Getty Images

On the heels of a contentious election and attempted insurrection, congressional Democrats and Americans across the political spectrum are on the same page when it comes to making democracy reform a top legislative priority.

But renewed efforts to pass legislation known as HR 1 — which would expand access to the ballot box, curb the influence of big money in politics and end partisan gerrymandering — still face the same old roadblocks.

House Democrats passed the first iteration of the so-called For the People Act two years ago, and they will likely do so again early in this Congress. And although the Democrats' newly minted majority in the Senate will give them more control over the legislative agenda this time around, getting the bill through that chamber without Republican cooperation — or eliminating the filibuster — will prove to be a herculean task.


Still, Democrats say the repeated attempts to subvert the 2020 election, including the violent attack on the Capitol earlier this month, demonstrate why this legislation is needed now more than ever. The bill includes provisions to strengthen election security, make voting more accessible and safe, and bolster campaign finance transparency, among other reforms.

The Senate's new majority leader, Democrat Chuck Schumer, said his chamber's version of the bill, dubbed S. 1, "will ensure that government is finally able to respond to the pressing needs of the American people."

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

And while the efforts in Congress to pass this legislation are largely one-sided, two-thirds of Americans across party lines back the bill, according to a poll released Friday by Equal Citizens and conducted by Data For Progress.

The survey found that Democratic voters, unsurprisingly, were the most supportive of HR 1 at 77 percent — but a majority of independents (68 percent) and Republicans (56 percent) were also in favor. The poll surveyed just under 1,200 likely voters Jan. 15-19 — more than a week after the riot at the Capitol — and had a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.

"Americans across the political spectrum are ready for fundamental democracy reform that will end gerrymandering, protect the right to vote, and reduce the influence of big money in politics. This poll clearly shows that the public stands behind Democratic congressional leaders in their decision to prioritize the For the People Act," said Adam Eichen, executive director of Equal Citizens.

Of course, Americans broadly supported these efforts in this past, to no avail.

Another big push for reform this week was focused on limiting the influence of money in politics. On Thursday — to mark the 11th anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which allowed for unlimited corporate spending in elections — lawmakers re-introduced a constitutional amendment to allow federal and state governments to regulate such political money.

Democratic Reps. Ted Deutch of Florida, Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Jamie Raskin of Maryland and GOP Rep. John Katko of New York are leading the effort to pass the amendment, which has been introduced in every Congress since the 2010 Supreme Court ruling.

From Your Site Articles
  • Democrats unveil plan to rein in the presidency in 2021 - The Fulcrum ›
  • The curious tale of the disappearing Election Day holiday bill ›
  • What a Democratic sweep would mean for democracy reform - The ... ›
  • RepresentUs keeps up fight to pass HR 1, stop gerrymandering ... ›
  • HR 1 ad campaign focuses on keeping Democrats in line - The Fulcrum ›
  • Cuccinelli to lead conservative campaign against HR 1 - The Fulcrum ›
  • Survey finds bipartisan support for HR 1 - The Fulcrum ›
  • For the People Act falls victim to partisan dysfunction - The Fulcrum ›
  • Congress faces pressure to act on voting rights legislation - The Fulcrum ›
  • West Virginia advocates implore Manchin to reconsider S 1 - The Fulcrum ›
  • How to balance voting rights and bipartisanship - The Fulcrum ›
Related Articles Around the Web
  • Democracy Reform Task Force | Congressman John Sarbanes ›
  • H.R. 1: Democracy Reform | Brennan Center for Justice ›
  • Soon to take majority, Senate Democrats introduce voting reform bill ... ›
  • 10 things you might not know about HR 1 - Roll Call ›
hr 1

Want to write
for The Fulcrum?

If you have something to say about ways to protect or repair our American democracy, we want to hear from you.

Submit
Get some Leverage Sign up for The Fulcrum Newsletter
Follow
Contributors

Reform in 2023: Leadership worth celebrating

Layla Zaidane

Two technology balancing acts

Dave Anderson

Reform in 2023: It’s time for the civil rights community to embrace independent voters

Jeremy Gruber

Congress’ fix to presidential votes lights the way for broader election reform

Kevin Johnson

Democrats and Republicans want the status quo, but we need to move Forward

Christine Todd Whitman

Reform in 2023: Building a beacon of hope in Boston

Henry Santana
Jerren Chang
latest News

Deaflympians battle for sport & awareness

Howard Gorrell
12h

Voters must hold politicians accountable

David L. Nevins
16h

Democracy has no off-years

Ashley Spillane
17h

Podcast: Harnessing the power of juries

Our Staff
18h

Podcast: Partial truths & corporate fables

Debilyn Molineaux
David Riordan
27 March

Moving beyond passing the torch: Bridging the age gap to rebuild democracy

Dairanys Grullon-Virgil
27 March
Videos

Video: Ted Lasso cast at the White House press briefing

Our Staff

Video: The hidden stories in the U.S. Census

Our Staff

Video: We asked conservatives at CPAC what woke means

Our Staff

Video: DeSantis, 18 states to push back against Biden ESG agenda

Our Staff

Video: A conversation with Tiahna Pantovich

Our Staff

Video: What would happen if Trump was a third-party candidate in 2024?

Our Staff
Podcasts

Podcast: Harnessing the power of juries

Our Staff
18h

Podcast: Partial truths & corporate fables

Debilyn Molineaux
David Riordan
27 March

Podcast: Risky business: More bank collapses ahead?

Our Staff
27 March

Podcast: Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other: Barbara McQuade

Our Staff
24 March
Recommended
Deaflympians battle for sport & awareness

Deaflympians battle for sport & awareness

Pop Culture
Voters must hold politicians accountable

Voters must hold politicians accountable

Big Picture
Democracy has no off-years

Democracy has no off-years

Elections
Podcast: Harnessing the power of juries

Podcast: Harnessing the power of juries

Podcasts
Podcast: Partial truths & corporate fables

Podcast: Partial truths & corporate fables

Diversity Inclusion and Belonging
Moving beyond passing the torch: Bridging the age gap to rebuild democracy

Moving beyond passing the torch: Bridging the age gap to rebuild democracy

Civic Ed