Joseph Tanfani, Moira Warburton

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – If major voting rights legislation backed President Joe Biden is not passed by the Senate, U.S. election employees could be facing escalating threats that may threaten American democracy, warned Democratic legislators and rights advocates.

Democrats have created a pair bills to make it a crime for election workers to be threatened or intimidated, as well as other provisions which would increase voting access, tighten campaign finance rules, and stop partisan gerrymandering. The bills address a surge in threats https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-ELECTION/THREATS/mopanwmlkva documented by a September Reuters investigation https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/terrorized-us-election-workers-get-little-help-law-enforcement-2021-09-08.

Democrats argue that the bill’s passage is essential to ensure elections are protected after Republican-led States adopted new restrictions on voting access, following Donald Trump’s falsified claims of widespread fraud which cost him his 2020 reelection.

But it will be difficult to pass the bills amid united Republican opposition in the narrowly divided Senate, where Democrats disagree on whether to amend the “filibuster” rule https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-senate-democrats-mull-ending-filibuster-pass-voting-rights-reform-2022-01-11 that requires 60 of the 100 senators to pass most legislation.

On Tuesday, Biden called https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-champion-voting-rights-georgia-clock-ticks-reforms-2022-01-11 for Senate Democrats to do whatever it takes to pass the bills, including amending the filibuster. The bills’ sponsors claim inaction will lead to intimidated election officials, and increased threats to rank-and file workers making it more difficult to hold fair elections.

Democratic Senator Mark Warner stated that if there aren’t independent election workers who care about integrity, then it is difficult for elections to proceed. He warned that further harassment could make it more difficult to recruit staff for the future.

“If you have only partisans filling these positions and these people don’t want to perform the function then faith in our system will be destroyed.”

Democratic Representative Colin Allred, who has sponsored bills to safeguard election workers, said they need the tough new protections https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-us-legislation-seeks-expand-protections-election-workers-2021-10-04, which also would make it tougher for political leaders to fire professional election administrators.

Allred told us in an interview, “If Donald Trump becomes the Republican Party candidate in 2024,… every county will become a battleground.”

While he did not say he was running again for the presidency in 2024, a public flirtation with it has been made. These endorsements will influence the field that Republicans are trying to regain control in the November 8th midterm elections.

Senate Republicans reject the voting rights bills and argue that they are unnecessary. They claim the unprecedented turnout at the 2020 election, which was record breaking, is proof of America’s democracy.

A news conference was held by 2020 Republican Senator Roy Blunt. He stated that “These States have modified their laws in such a manner that it makes it easier for people to vote than any other election except the pandemic.”

Chuck Schumer, Senate’s top Democrat has pushed to have a floor vote regarding the voting rights bills at Monday’s holiday in honor of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The filibuster rule cannot be ended by Democrats without the support of all 50 senators. Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema and Kyrsten Sinema have strongly opposed this step. The senators argued that it could cause damage to the Senate, and can lead to permanent change in many aspects of American society whenever power is transferred in Washington.

Though a few moderate Senate Republicans support limiting voting rights, they say they do not see it as urgent three years before the next election.

Warner said that if the larger rights bills fail, Democrats could try again to pass a more limited bill focused on protecting election workers from threats https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-threats-georgia-exclusiv-idCAKBN2IP0VZ.