HR 1, known as the For the People Act, a landmark voting right bill designed to ensure eligible individuals have the ability to vote by barring Republican state efforts to suppress voter turnout, passed the House by a 220-210 vote, mainly along party lines, the New York Times reports.
Widely opposed by Republicans, HR 1 aims at protecting voter rights at a time when Republicans have introduced more than 250 bills in 43 states designed to make it harder for Americans to cast a ballot.
The bill aims to restrict partisan gerrymandering of Congressional districts, ensure people have ample time for early voting, guarantee the opportunity to vote via mail-in ballot, and impose new transparency on dark money used to finance campaigns.
“Everything is at stake. We must win this race, this fight,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said as Democrats rallied on the Capitol steps before the vote. “At the same time as we are gathering here to honor our democracy, across the country over 200 bills are being put together, provisions are being put forward to suppress the vote.”
The bill is not likely to gain traction in the Senate, where it will require filibuster-proof 60 votes to pass. With Democrats with only a 50+1 majority in the Senate, and no Republicans in the Senate openly supporting the bill, it’s not likely to get sudden support among the GOP.