Axios:

A new bipartisan Senate group is in early discussions about crafting an election reform measure, as the Democrats’ sweeping voting rights proposals continue to run into steep procedural hurdles.

Driving the news: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) convened a Zoom call late Wednesday afternoon as a cross-section of lawmakers from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) have expressed openness to reforming the outdated bill.

A person familiar with the call characterized it as a “wide-ranging discussion of election issues,” including the option to update the Electoral Count Act of 1887 to clarify the role the vice president and Congress play in certifying presidential elections.

Besides Collins, the participants were Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the person told Axios.