Michael McKenna: Feds should keep their noses out of running elections

Washington, DC -- Washington Times contributor Michael McKenna over the weekend penned an op-ed about the importance of the work being done by the Republican State Leadership Committee’s Commission on Election Integrity and the need for states, not the federal government, to take the lead on ensuring our elections are free and fair. The Commission recently released its report on best practices drawn from existing state legislative statutes across the nation that make it easier to vote and harder to cheat.

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Feds should keep their noses out of running elections
States must improve and keep control of the voting process
Michael McKenna
The Washington Times
April 9, 2021

Whatever you think of the 2020 elections, it seems prudent to be concerned about the quality and integrity of the process. The fact that our fourth-largest state (New York) finally completed its vote counting just a few days ago — five full months after the polls closed — should tell you that something is seriously wrong.

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But the simple truth is that only the doomed expect salvation from the federal government. However bad you think the 2020 elections were, imagine how much worse they would have been if the federal government were responsible for running them. Or, if that isn’t scary enough, how about if the federal government were responsible for fixing it?

Fortunately, there is another choice. The good news is that the states — which should be and are responsible for executing elections — have a wealth of knowledge and ability in this arena.

Even better news is that in the wake of the most recent election cycle, the Republican State Leadership Committee, which is the home of the national caucuses for Republican state legislators and — most importantly, in this instance — secretaries of state, has constructed a commission to improve elections and restore the American people’s confidence in free and fair elections.

The commission…is intended to promote with their peers in other states reforms that make it easier to vote and harder to cheat.

They are thinking about the right metrics.

State primacy is essential. Elections must remain controlled by the states. Public confidence will not be restored by handing the reins over to the federal government. 

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The success of elections depends on states. No one wants the federal government to be responsible for overseeing elections or counting votes. That’s why this commission, made up of state officials who work every day on elections, has to be successful in sharing what works with peers in other states.

The alternative is federal control.