(CNN) A sweeping elections and campaign finance overhaul sought by Democrats to blunt Republican state-level efforts to restrict voting access faced a contentious debate Tuesday in a key Senate committee. The clashes over its provisions underscore the steep odds Democrats face in enacting the far-reaching legislation, which touches on everything from rules for early voting to public funding for Senate candidates. The Senate Rules Committee deadlocked 9-9 along partisan lines Tuesday evening on passing the bill out of committee. "This is not the last you will hear," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the Minnesota Democrat who chairs the committee, said minutes after the vote. The Senate is divided evenly between the parties, and at least one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, has expressed reservations about moving forward with a far-reaching measure without bipartisan support.

Source: CNN May 11, 2021 21:47 UTC