Here's what's in the House's just-passed election reform bill

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

published 8 March 2019

House Democrats just passed a massive bill that would dramatically overhaul America's electoral system. However, it's almost certainly hit a dead end.

H.R. 1, as the 700-page election bill is known, was the first thing Democrats introduced when they retook the House in January. It passed Friday along party lines and, even though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has refused to even allow a vote on the measure, signals electoral reform will be a main focus during House Democrats' next two years on top, The Washington Post reports.

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Some of those major reforms would likely boost voter turnout for Democrats, something McConnell recognized when he called the Election Day holiday proposal a "power grab" earlier this year. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) countered by calling H.R. 1 "a power grab on behalf of the people," the Post says. Even if the bill did somehow make it to President Trump's desk, he has pledged to veto it.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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