The Republican from Iowa, like all of her Republican Senate colleagues, steadfastly opposes the election bill Democrats brought to the Senate floor Wednesday evening.

”They want to federalize the election system,” Ernst said Wednesday in a phone interview with The Messenger. ”Through the Constitution, states have all the rights not reserved for the federal government. States are able to determine and run their own elections.”

”They want control over the system so they can better control outcomes,” Ernst said of Democrats.

While Democrats say the bill will protect the right to vote, Ernst said it would actually result in the ”disintegration of voter protections.”

The senator said the bill would result in candidates, pollsters and political consultants being paid with taxpayer dollars.

”It’s unbelievable what’s buried in these bills,” she said.

Ernst said she has full confidence in Iowa’s election system

”I think Iowa has one of the best, if not the best, election system in the United States,” she said. ”I know that our county auditors, whether they be Democrats or Republicans, run clean and honest elections.”

Since the Democratic-backed measure doesn’t have the support of 60 senators in a chamber that has 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, it was doomed from the minute debate began.

Therefore Senate Democrats were expected to move Wednesday to end what is called the filibuster, which requires a bill to have the support of 60 senators to pass..

”We need to keep it because it protects the minority,” Ernst said.

However, the bid to end the filibuster Wednesday night was also doomed because two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, and Kyrsten Sinema, of Arizona, opposed that move.

”They are under extreme pressure,” Ernst said. ”They’re both holding very firm.”

Ernst said she thinks Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, forced Wednesday night’s votes to help protect himself from a potential primary election challenge by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York.

According to Ernst, there are some things Senate Republicans would be willing to enact regarding elections.

She said Republicans would support grants to states to help pay for protecting election systems.

Republican senators would also be willing to change laws to make it impossible for a vice president to overturn Electoral College results for a presidential election. Former Vice President Mike Pence resisted pressure to alter the Electoral College results for the 2020 election.