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The "Time Off to Vote Act" would close gaps in state laws, U.S.
Representative Nikema Williams of Georgia said in a statement,
citing the long lines at polling places seen in her state and
others during previous elections.
Democrats, led by U.S. President Joe Biden, tried earlier this
year to get major voting rights legislation passed, but were
prevented by two centrist Democratic senators' refusal to
eliminate the filibuster in the Senate, a mechanism that
requires most bills to gain at least 60 votes in order to
advance. All 50 Senate Republicans also opposed the broad voting
rights legislation.
The new narrow bill would "ensure no worker has to sacrifice
their wages or jeopardize their job security to exercise their
sacred right to vote," Democratic Representative Andy Levin, a
co-sponsor, said in a statement.
Many Democrats are concerned that the lack of action on voting
rights will hurt them in November's midterm elections,
particularly in states like Georgia where they won narrow
victories after campaigning hard on protecting access to the
ballot box.
A voting rights bill that was passed by the House in January but
buried by the Senate would have established minimum federal
voting standards so that any registered voter could request a
mail-in ballot. It also would have established at least two
weeks of early voting and expanded use of ballot drop boxes that
make voting more convenient in many areas.
(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Washington; Editing by Sam
Holmes)
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