GOP hard-liners push to ban most mail-in voting

Mail-in voting is staring down a potential kill shot from congressional Republicans, even though eight states run elections almost entirely by mail and voters in both parties rely on it.

GOP pushes to gut mail-in voting

• Congressional Republicans are pushing to effectively ban mail-in voting.
• Eric Schmitt is spearheading the Senate crackdown effort.
• Trump blames mail ballots for his 2020 election loss.
• Narrow exceptions would cover military, disability, and hardship cases.

The proposal faces serious internal friction

• Susan Collins refused to back Schmitt's absentee restrictions.
• Maine's elderly population depends heavily on mail-in ballots.
• Eight states run near-exclusively on vote-by-mail systems.
• Mike Lee thinks his own state, Utah, could just adapt.

Democrats call it voter suppression

• Chuck Schumer accused MAGA radicals of targeting mail voting.
• Raphael Warnock labeled the ID rules a suppression pretext.
• Vermont's 64 percent mail-voting rate spans all party lines.
• Democrats support voter ID but oppose the onerous requirements.

Path to passage looks bleak

• The filibuster blocks advancement without 60 Senate votes.
• John Thune won't weaken filibuster rules for this bill.
• Schmitt's proposal bundles in transgender sports and surgery bans.
• Lee warned that inaction could trigger a GOP voter backlash.