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The onslaught of voter suppression bills introduced by Republicans in state legislatures around the country has evoked intense opposition from the whole non-MAGA world. Protests have erupted, and lawsuits have been filed, often within minutes of passage, against these new restrictions.

Watching this, it is tempting to completely write off the possibility of any bipartisan work on voting and democracy issues. The savaging of Liz Cheney in the Republican conference produces that same feeling. But just as there are rumblings of Republican resistance to the Trumpist takeover, there are also Republicans in the elections realm willing to move democracy forward. So it is worth noting where bipartisan progress is actually being made.

One such place, surprisingly, is Kentucky, home of Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul. Democratic Gov. Andrew Beshear recently signed into law a voting expansion bill that passed the House, 91-3, and the Senate, 33-3. In signing, Beshear said: I want to start by talking about voting. About how, when much of the country has put in more restrictive laws, that Kentucky legislators, Kentucky leaders were able to come together to stand up for democracy and to expand the opportunity for people to vote.

More from Miles Rapoport | Cecily Hines

Whats the story behind this anomalous event, and what lessons does it suggest going forward?

Kentucky was one of the many states that moved to make access to voting easier in 2020, to protect citizens from the risk of voting in person. And they needed to. Prior to the pandemic, Kentucky had one of the most restrictive voting laws anywhere. There was no early voting, and access to absentee ballots was highly restricted. In 2018, 96 percent of Kentuckys voters voted in person on Election Day, and that clearly was not going to work in 2020.

The legislature empowered Democrat Beshear and Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams to develop temporary emergency procedures. They did, and the procedures (as in so many states) worked, producing dramatically increased turnout, with voters utilizing the multiple new opportunities they had to cast their ballots. Only 22 percent of voters cast their ballots in person on Election Day in November 2020.

Kentucky was one of the many states that moved to make access to voting easier in 2020, to protect citizens from the risk of voting in person.

Voters were glad to have the additional options, and local elections officials and county clerks were happy and relieved as well. Around the country, given how well the 2020 election actually workedthe most secure, with the highest turnout in decadesit has been astonishing and appalling to watch so many states race to the bottom in voting laws.

But in Kentucky, Republicans decided to do something different; they decided to try to keep moving forward in a bipartisan way. The leaders in the Republican House and Republican Senate reached out to Democrats, who were in a 25 percent minority, for input and discussion. State Rep. Jennifer Decker, a lead sponsor of the bill, made the point that election reform should not be partisan; majorities can change at any time, as they have in Kentuckys recent past.

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Decker, along with Josh Branscum, both first-termers in the legislature, and Rep. James Tipton, worked to come up with a bill that could actually be passed in the House and the Senate with the goals of increasing turnout and making elections more secure. Rep. Buddy Wheatley, chair of the House Elections Committee, pointed out in an interview with the authors that Adams, Beshear, and Republican and Democratic legislators were able to build on the cooperation they achieved working together during the pandemic.

Another key player in all of this was Jared Dearing, executive director of the Kentucky State Board of Elections. Dearing had put together a diverse and respected advisory group during 2020 in an effort to get the broadest buy-in possible for elections changes needed during the pandemic. Essentially this same group was reassembled in 2021 to advise on what changes should be made permanent.

They also reached out to experts like Josh Douglas, professor of law at the University of Kentucky, a national leader in efforts to expand voting opportunities. The deep expertise and experience in this group was invaluable in providing the legislators with critical data and input. Part of the story was the strong involvement of the county clerks, who brought their on-the-ground perspectives. Douglas told us that not only did Adams and the legislative leaders reach out to the county clerks; they actually listened to them, unlike the Florida legislature, which recently passed a voter suppression law, ignoring the opposition voices of the county clerks.

Given how well the 2020 election actually worked, it has been astonishing and appalling to watch so many states race to the bottom in voting laws.

This deep involvement of the clerks and local elections officials reveals one element of the secret sauce here, and that was the involvement of Trey Grayson, who represents the county clerks in the legislature as their lobbyist. Grayson, political history buffs may recall, was secretary of state of Kentucky from 2004 to 2011, and was Mitch McConnells strong choice to join him in the U.S. Senate in 2010. But he was primaried by one Rand Paul, who defeated him handily in the Tea Party wave. Grayson did a stint as the director of the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, and has continued his leadership on election issues both in Kentucky and nationally. He was a key figure in the negotiations on the bill.

In an interview, he recalled the aha moment when a working group of Republican legislators, election administrators representing the secretary, the county clerks, and the Republican representative from the State Elections Board all found consensus on critical key points. These included voting centers, early voting, and a cure process for absentee ballots, all of which the county clerks had prioritized based on their experience in 2020.

Grayson pointed out that the Democrats contributed positively to this outcome as well. They could have publicly opposed the bill for not going far enough, which they certainly believed. But instead, they were pragmatic and recognized that getting the changes the Republicans were proposing would definitely be a significant improvement over the current law. They became team players, and the bill ultimately passed by the huge margins we noted.

Some voting rights advocates have criticized the Kentucky law for not being strong enough, for not addressing some key issues to enhance voter access, and for including restrictions that they would oppose, including the prohibition of third-party collection of absentee ballots and some easing of purging procedures. They point out that in some respects, like the provision of only three days of early voting, the new Kentucky law leaves the state with a more restrictive set of rules than those just enacted in Georgia. But most voting rights organizations in Kentucky, including the NAACP and the ACLU, have given the new law cautious support.

Specifically, the new law:

Kentucky is truly unique in making even this modest progress. It is the only GOP-controlled legislature in the country that worked with the minority Democrats to craft an improvement in voter access over the states existing law, which was admittedly one of the worst in the nation. While the parties are far apart on many issues, Wheatley says the key to compromise is building lasting trusting relationships with each other. And Dearing emphasizes that by making incremental steps, the changes will be more sustainable and less susceptible to extreme pendulum swings in the future.

But why is Kentucky so different from the norm?

It is important to note that Kentucky is by no means a swing state or a national battleground. Republicans had major successes in the November 2020 election, re-electing Mitch McConnell, delivering a strong win for Trump, and adding to Republican majorities in the state legislature. Republican voters as well as Democrats had enjoyed the broader options for voting, and there was no strong grassroots movement to curtail those improvements. The continuing Republican domination surely lessened the pressure from Trump and the national party to make big changes.

And the fact that there is a Democratic governor has made some levels of cooperation more the norm on many issues, and the cooperation in the 2020 elections was a highly relevant case in point. In addition (though this is true elsewhere), Republican voters as well as Democrats utilized the widened procedures, and were glad to have them in the pandemic. Finally, the bill had some elements of the Republican agenda of election security, such as the restriction on third parties being able to collect and turn in absentee ballots. So it was indeed a compromise piece of legislation.

Nevertheless, there is something to be noted here about leadership and even about the Republican Party. Underneath the MAGA madness, there are Republicans, like Michael Adams, Trey Grayson, and some of the Republican legislators who made this happen, who can be partners in legislating and in improving democratic procedures. At the moment, they are faint voices compared to the Trumpian noise machine. But they are there. Some Republican secretaries of state have done good work to broaden voting regulations. Many local elections officials, well beyond the few heroes who stood up to the Big Lie, are working to make elections run well. They should be recognized, and opportunities for those partnerships shouldnt be missed.

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A Kentucky Surprise: Bipartisan Reforms to Ease Voting - The American Prospect

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul plans to attend a "Save America Summit" hosted by a group that organized the controversial Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C., that precededthe deadly attack onthe U.S. Capitol that day.

The event is set for April 8-11 at a Florida golfresort former President Donald Trump's companyowns.It's hosted byWomen for America First, a major organizer of the rally where Trump urged a huge crowd to oppose Congress's certification ofPresident Joe Biden's election.

Many people who attended that rally marched to the Capitol, where Trump supporters violently breached the government building and forced members of Congress to evacuate.Five people died, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer, and a lot of thosewho participated in the riot have since beenarrested.

Read this: Sen. Rand Paul comes to Louisville to meet with Christopher 2X, others on gun violence

Paul's decision to attend the "Save America Summit," where he's expected to discuss election issues,has raised eyebrows.

The Kentucky Democratic Party accused Paul of kickstarting a "national insurrectionist tour" bysigning ontothe summit, as well as by recently going to Colorado, where he spent time with U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, aRepublican representing that state whose comments before and duringthe Jan. 6 riot have been heavily scrutinized.

Boebert posted a picture of herself and Paul on March 28, saying: "Giving a big Colorado welcome to one of the Constitutions fiercest defenders, @RandPaul! Working hard together to #ReOpenAmerica!"

Paul responded with his own tweet saying: "Proud to stand with @laurenboebert."

Boebert has said the violence at the Capitolwas "inexcusable." Regardless, some comments she made drew a lot of criticism and attention, including a tweet she sent the morning of Jan. 6 that said: "Today is 1776."

The Kentucky Democratic Party criticized Paul in a Mondayblog post: "Roughly a year out from the 2022 filing deadline for his re-election, Senator Rand Paul has kicked off what appears to be a national tour with groups and individuals who supported the January 6 insurrection."

KDP spokesperson Marisa McNee added:"While portions of Kentucky were once again hit with devastating flooding over the weekend, Rand Paul was partying in Colorado in a desperate attempt to position himself to run for president again. He continues to pursue his own selfish ambitions rather than focus on his constituents. Its clear Rand Paul does not care about Kentucky."

Paul, who ran for president in 2016, has not announced any plans to seek the Oval Office again in 2024. He has said he's focused on his reelection race next year.

Paul's office provided this statement Wednesday: "Dr. Paul supported seating the state certified electors, did not advocate for the Jan 6th rally,and called for an immediate withdrawal of everyone who illegally entered the Capitol. Dr. Paul is also willing to work with colleagues from all sides, both at home and in Washington, on election security and reform."

Earlier this year, Paul said he does not think politicians should be impeached for political speech and criticized the idea of holding politicians responsible for violence other people inflict.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., listens to a reporter after speaking on the Senate floor, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)(Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, AP)

Women for America First said in a tweet on Jan. 6 that it was not involved in breaching the Capitol and doesn't condone violence.

The organization's recentannouncement that Paul will attend April's "Save America Summit" said he'll discuss"his common sense #Electionintegrity plan to make sure Nov 2020 NEVER happens again."

Women for America First, Trump himself and other conservative politicians and groups, including Boebert, have falsely claimed Biden's election last fall was illegitimate.

Similarly, Paul baselessly said the election "in many ways was stolen" during a congressional hearing in December. He also has falsely claimed without proof that voter fraud was a major problem in the 2020 election.

More: Twitter flags Sen. Rand Paul for baseless speculation on voter fraud

He voted to certify Biden's victory in Congress on Jan. 6, though.

Since then, Paul has said he plans to spend the next two years pushingfor state legislatures around the country to pass new laws aimed at stopping fraud.

However,election officials and experts around the country have said there has been no widespread fraud.

"Massive voter fraud is the monster under the bed that doesn't exist to any measurable degree (in any form)," election law expert and University of Kentucky professor Josh Douglas told The Courier Journal last fall.

More days and ways to vote:How Kentucky is breaking with red states on voting access

So far, Paul offered input on and supported at least one state-level change to election law: House Bill 574, a landmark measure the Kentucky legislature just passed that expands voting access by allowing in-person early voting while also instituting several election security-related changes.

Reach reporter Morgan Watkins: 502-582-4502; mwatkins@courierjournal.com; Twitter:@morganwatkins26.

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Rand Paul to join summit held by organizer of rally that preceded Jan. 6 Capitol riot - Courier Journal

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., stepped up his criticism of Dr. Anthony Faucis call for Americans to continue wearing masks after receiving their COVID-19 vaccinations on Tuesday, citing a study that found evidence that vaccinated or recovered individuals had protection against COVID-19 variants.

Paul, an eye doctor by training, has been a prominent critic of Faucis guidance that Americans should wear masks even after vaccination while scientists work to understand the effects that emergent COVID-19 variants have on immunity. In his latest salvo against the infectious disease expert, Paul linked to a pre-print of a study by the National Institute of Health.

"Dr. Fauci, great news! T cell immunity after natural infection shown to include variants," Paul wrote on Twitter. "Do we still need to wear multiple masks after weve recovered or been vaccinated?"

The study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, found that "virtually all anti-SARS-CoV-2 CD8+ T-cell responses should recognize these newly described variants." The studys authors noted that its findings were based on a limited sample size.

In February, Fauci warned it was "possible" that Americans would need to wear masks into next year. He has also suggested that wearing two masks makes "common sense" to provide additional protection against the virus.

Faucis warnings have rankled Paul, who argued at a Senate hearing earlier this month that the call by the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for continued mask-wearing amounted to "theater."

"You want to get rid of vaccine hesitancy? Tell them you can quit wearing your mask after they get the vaccine," Paul said. "You want people to get the vaccine? Give them a reward instead of telling them that the nanny state's going to be there for three more years and you got to wear a mask forever. People don't want to hear it. Theres no science behind it."

"Well, let me just state for the record that masks are not theater," Fauci said in response. "Masks are protective."

"If you have immunity, they're theater," Paul said. "If you already have immunity you're wearing a mask to give comfort to others."

"I totally disagree with you," Fauci replied.

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In a March 21 tweet, Paul linked to another study published on the JAMA Network, which he said showed "vaccines and naturally acquired immunity DO effectively neutralize COVID variants."

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Rand Paul mocks Fauci over advocacy of mask use after vaccination - Fox News

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Americans have suffered too long from this pandemic. But we can see a new day dawning on the horizon. Coronavirus infections are on the decline, and with three different vaccines now on the market, an end to the pandemic is within reach.

Our economy is beginning to recover as people return to work. The unemployment rate plummeted from nearly 15 percent last April to just over 6 percent this February. State lockdowns are finally being lifted and our economy is getting back on its feet.

Unfortunately, some lawmakers intend to exploit this critical time in order to pass a partisan goody bag the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, or the PRO Act that solely benefits labor unions while ignoring the rights of millions of American workers.

BIDEN'S $2.5T INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN INCLUDES PRO-UNION LEGISLATION

The PRO Act would, among other things, likely reclassify countless independent contractors as employees under the National Labor Relations Act. This reclassification would rob millions of workers of the right to set their own terms and schedule their own work hours. The bill would also strike down right-to-work laws in 27 states, including Kentuckys, which guarantee every worker has the free and fair choice to join a union, as our president put it.

It would also force employers to hand over their employees' private information including cellphone numbers and home addresses to union organizers, exposing them to harassment and intimidation. This bill not only erodes the privacy rights of workers but strips them of their ability to vote both on a union contract and through a secret ballot over whether to unionize.

This harmful legislation could not come at a worse time. Lawmakers should know this. The PRO Act represents a massive upheaval in our labor market and erases more than 70 years of established labor law. It would undermine the livelihoods of tens of millions of independent contractors at a time when they can least afford it.

SEN. LEE WANTS TO STRIP NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD OF POWER

If you want to see how this legislation would work in practice, look no further than Californias Assembly Bill 5, a law passed in late 2019 intended to reclassify most of the states independent contractors. AB 5 employs what is called an ABC test that regulators use to determine which independent contractors would be pushed into traditional employment the same test the PRO Act would implement.

The laws supporters never seemed to wonder whether these workers might prefer their flexible arrangements or if businesses could afford this costly mandate.

The law further worsened California's lackluster job numbers, forcing thousands of freelancers out of work entirely. It subjected photographers to onerous and frankly bizarre mandates limiting the number of pictures they could send to clients.

The law also made it nearly impossible for optometrists, yoga instructors, pharmacists, writers, speech therapists, and wedding planners among countless other professions to take on more clients as independent contractors.

It didn't matter how hard lawmakers hoped clients would place them on the payroll as their own employees. Vox Media, for example, was forced to lay off hundreds of its California-based freelance writers, hiring only a tiny fraction of them back for full and part-time work. Now, some in Congress want to recreate this on a national scale with the PRO Act.

WHAT ARE RIGHT TO WORK LAWS?

Supporters of the bill claim companies are exploiting independent contractors. But there's simply no evidence for that claim. In fact, nearly 80 percent of independent contractors say they prefer their flexible work arrangements.

Why should we assume members of Congress understand the interests of these workers better than they do?

Whats more, this bill gets the facts of right-to-work laws dead wrong. Right-to-work states typically experience faster manufacturing and overall job growth, greater growth in household consumption, and higher disposable and overall cost of living adjusted incomes. That's why 74 members of the House of Representatives have signed onto the National Right to Work Act with 16 senators supporting the Senate version which would ensure that union membership is purely voluntary and will protect workers from being fired if they opt-out of joining a union.

Unfortunately, the PRO Act would represent a step backward in the progress we've made since the pandemic hit our shores and make it more difficult for Americans to earn a living for themselves and their families. The American people oppose its provisions. Lawmakers should, too.

READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS BY CLICKING HERE

Rand Paul is a U.S. Senator representing Kentucky. Tim Phillips is the President of Americans for Prosperity.

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Sen. Rand Paul & AFP's Tim Phillips: The PRO ACT undermines workers' rights at the worst possible time - Fox Business

Texas knows how to change the minds and behavior of its citizens white males included. Just think of the wildly successful Dont Mess With Texas ad campaign that helped tamp down littering. Gov. Greg Abbotts office could do a world of good by launching a similar campaign to convince Texans of the truth that vaccines save lives, including perhaps their own.

Now that Texas becoming the first large state to open coronavirus vaccine eligibility to its entire adult population, we have to find a way to reach a certain faction of white male Republicans who are insisting they intend to spurn the shot. According to a recent NPR/PBS/Marist poll, 49 percent of GOP men said they are not planning to get vaccinated. That startling number, higher than in any other demographic, is in contrast to only 6 percent of Democratic men saying no. Other polls report similar findings.

The vaccine naysayers apparently are unmoved by the fact that theyre not only risking their own health, but also the health of family, friends and the broader community. Their stubbornness threatens to stymie the nations efforts to reach COVID-19 herd immunity, the only way were going to put this dreadful pandemic behind us.

If Republican men have dismissed Dr. Anthony Fauci, now that hes working under the Biden administration, maybe they will listen to our local, plainspoken and trusted vaccine scientist, Dr. Peter Hotez of Baylor College of Medicine. Both experts believe that herd immunity will require vaccinating between 70 percent and 85 percent of the population. Men of the GOP are standing in the way, for what appears to be no good reason, just politics.

They arent entirely alone. Some Americans, wary of a history of exploitation at the hands of unethical medical authorities, have also proven reluctant to be vaccinated. Reassuring Black Americans has been a top priority for public health officials for months now. But those same efforts have fallen flat among Republican men. Perhaps its because a certain immediate past president who made sure he and his wife got their shots, albeit in secret, still has their ear (and their arm). Perhaps these men are listening to Rand Paul, the maskless GOP senator from Kentucky who prefers picking a political fight with Fauci to finding ways to defeat a devastating pandemic. Maybe the holdouts have fallen into the clutches of a shameless Tucker Carlson, who stokes his Fox News ratings by accusing government health experts of lying about vaccine efficacy.

None of these carnival barkers have these mens best interest in mind. And their objections plus the ridiculous conspiracy theories bandied about on social media are taking their toll and risk ruining what might otherwise be a major accomplishment by Texas. Our hope is that the GOP skeptics will relent, particularly when they see more and more family members and acquaintances getting vaccinated with no lasting ill effects, more and more friends hugging grandkids, boarding flights and dining at restaurants without fear.

Vaccine holdouts, we implore you to join those who have been freed from the bonds of this pandemic.

We urge churches and synagogues, fraternal organizations, civic groups and, yes, political parties to encourage their members to get the shot. Point them toward the Texas Department of State Health Services websites links to vaccine hub providers across Texas. Print readers: just Google Texas vaccine signup to find the DSHS vaccine page.

In Houston, were fortunate to have Dr. Hotez, who recently co-authored a paper with 17 other vaccine experts that corrected much misinformation. Despite the accelerated timetables, for instance, the new COVID-19 vaccines have been proven safe. Tens of thousands of volunteers served as test subjects in those trials, an effort equivalent to other large trials in the past. The work to develop the vaccines didnt begin last year it relied on decades of previous research on coronaviruses.

Oh, and the vaccine doesnt change your DNA, despite what youve heard. While mRNA in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines does enter the cell, it doesnt enter the cells nucleus, where our DNA is kept.

Lastly, while some claim the vaccines arent worth it because they cant entirely eliminate the chance of getting the virus, the vaccines in the U.S. are highly effective at keeping you alive and out of the hospital if you get it. Preliminary research also shows that if you are vaccinated, you have a smaller chance of spreading the virus to someone else.

Bottom line: all of us, from politicians to doctors to concerned sons and daughters, need to persuade the vaccine-skittish among us to step up and do their patriotic duty. To do otherwise, as conservative columnist Kathleen Parker has gently suggested, is just plain dumb but more importantly, potentially deadly.

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TEXAS VIEW: Too many GOP men are refusing to get the COVID vaccine - Odessa American