House Democrats pass extensive voting and campaign finance reform bill, H.R. 1

The House of Representatives Wednesday passed Democrats' signature voting and campaign finance reform legislation that aims to expand access to the polls, fight partisan gerrymandering and set up new public funding for congressional races.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, said the legislation is needed to combat voter suppression efforts in states, to crackdown on corruption and to diminish the influence of big donors in politics.  "This is called the For The People bill," Pelosi said Wednesday at an H.R. 1 event prior to its passage. "And in doing so, we combat big, dark, special-interest money in politics and amplify the voice of the American people."