Democrats Sell Out Their States

Mississippi’s Rep. Bennie Thompson did something remarkable in Wednesday’s House vote to pass H.R.1, the For the People Act. He was the sole Democrat to vote for his state.

Republicans are describing the bill, which would impose voting requirements on the states, as a federal “power grab.” It’s better described as a surrender. Democrats are selling out their own states’ interests.

The left and the media describe H.R.1 as a “voting rights” and “campaign finance” reform. It’s actually an unprecedented federal effort to dictate state voting rules. The bill would strip states of their authority to decide methods of balloting, election deadlines and most aspects of election security. It would mandate mail-in voting, impose registration rules, dictate ballot-return dates, and void identification standards. It even limits states’ ability to draw congressional districts.

The only Democrat to vote “no” was Mr. Thompson, who was initially a co-sponsor, but explained that he later encountered home-state opposition to key provisions, including those that would govern redistricting. “I always listen and vote in the interests of my constituents,” he said in a statement to Fox News.

Democrats got that kind of blowback across the country but ignored it. Opponents included state officials charged with running state elections. “This is way over the line. Elections are run state by state, even county by county, or township by township,” West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner says in an interview. “They need to be run by local officials, who are closest to the people, elected by the people, most responsive to the people.”