RSLC’s Commission on Election Integrity Co-Chairs Respond to the Advancement of the Democrats’ Partisan ‘For the People Act’
Washington, DC -- Senate Democrats yesterday advanced the radical ‘For the People Act,’ a federal takeover of elections that would overrule state election laws and impose dangerous voting practices nationwide, out of the Senate Rules Committee. Following the Rules Committee’s markup of the bill, the Republican State Leadership Committee’s Commission on Election Integrity Co-Chairs Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett and Michigan Senator Ruth Johnson released the following statement opposing the legislation.
“S.1 is an unprecedented intrusion of the federal government into state election processes. This bill would prohibit reasonable measures to verify the identity of voters and cripple efforts to maintain clean voting rolls. Restoring public trust in our democracy won’t be solved by one-size-fits-all mandates from Washington, D.C. Election reforms should instead be made at the state level and crafted to boost public confidence in our electoral process by making it easier to vote and harder to cheat. Unfortunately, the ‘For the People Act’ fails at achieving this on all fronts, and we urge the Senate to oppose it if it comes to the floor for a vote.”
The legislation’s advancement through the Rules Committee follows the release of the RSLC Commission on Election Integrity’s best practices report to restore the American people’s trust in their free and fair elections. Election reform may be a national priority – but it’s in the states where action needs to be taken, as the Constitution gives states the important responsibility of running elections. As Secretary Hargett recently detailed in the Washington Examiner, states also have a wealth of knowledge in administering elections and are best positioned to do so. The RSLC’s Commission on Election Integrity will continue to oppose S.1 and serve as a hub of ideas for leaders trying to implement reforms in their respective states.
