A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation designed to prevent a repeat of efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election.

Following Donald Trump’s assault on US elections and attempts to subvert the peaceful transfer of power in the chaotic aftermath of his 2020 loss, a bipartisan group of senators has unveiled plans for legislation to block future candidates from trying to steal a presidential election.

It may seem improbable, given adamant Republican opposition to legislation protecting voting rights, but a bipartisan group of senators is close to agreement on a separate, crucial way to protect our democracy: reforming the Electoral Count Act of 1887.

That arcane law governs how Congress counts presidential electors. If senators resolve last-minute differences, a stolen 2024 election might become substantially less likely.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, says the Electoral Count Act needs to be overhauled because the orderly transfer of power is “essential.”

Collins, who is leading a bipartisan group of senators committed to reforming the act,  made her remarks in a column posted by The New York Times on Friday.

One of America’s last-ditch defenses against attempts to subvert presidential elections is a rickety 135-year-old antique.

This ancient structure – an 1887 law called the Electoral Count Act – governs the official counting of Electoral College votes and the naming of the new president-elect. But it’s poorly written and vague in important spots. Then-President Donald Trump tested its strength with his post-vote efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s legitimate victory.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., on Sunday endorsed the re-election campaign of his Republican colleague Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who faces a tough challenger this year supported by former President Donald Trump.

"I'm endorsing my dear friend Lisa Murkowski," Manchin said on CNN's "State of the Union." "Alaska could only be so lucky to have her continue to serve them."

Murkowski returned the favor, saying she will endorse Manchin, who is up for re-election in 2024, if he decides to run.

In a rare show of bipartisanship, Sens. Joe Manchin and Lisa Murkowski appeared in a joint TV interview on Sunday and exchanged endorsements.

Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, and Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, appeared on CNN's "State of the Union," during which Manchin endorsed her and called her a "dear friend."

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed each other Sunday during a joint TV interview — as Manchin defended his opposition of President Biden’s $2 trillion social spending bill, saying he’s “not a Washington Democrat.”

The lawmakers put up a bipartisan front during their appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” ahead of their upcoming re-election races.

“I’m endorsing my dear friend Lisa Murkowski. Alaska could only be so lucky to have her continue to serve them,” Manchin, of West Virginia, said on the show.

With voting rights legislation all but dead in the Senate, and the former president now openly suggesting he tried to use a vaguely-worded 19th-century law to try to manipulate the last presidential election, a growing group of bipartisan lawmakers is backing the idea of changing how Congress tallies presidential election results by reforming the 1887 Electoral Count Act.