On the recordOctober 19, 2021
I thank my friend, the senior Senator from Vermont, for his courtesy. Tomorrow, the Senate will vote on the latest iteration of what has come to be known as the Democrats' partisan power grab over our elections conducted overwhelmingly by the States--actually, exclusively at the State and local level. The legislation that prompted this discussion first popped up in 2019, when the newly elected majority in the House went on a messaging bill spree. Over the last 2 years, they have tried a number of different marketing strategies to convince the American people that this overhaul was needed. This latest version is proof that Congress isn't buying what they are selling, and that is for good reason. Those who were advocating for a national takeover of our State-run elections, at one point they said it was a matter of election security. Then they said this was designed to help restore voter confidence. Then they said this is a way to remove obstacles that prevented people from voting. But facts are stubborn things. In 2020, we saw record turnout. Two- thirds of eligible voters cast a ballot, and that was the highest turnout in 120 years. I was on the ballot in 2020. The last time I had been on the ballot, 6 years previously, there were 4.8 million voters in Texas. In 2020, there were 11.3 million voters in Texas.…
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