House Administration Committee Republicans on Thursday voted 8-4 to advance a conservative election package, defeating several changes from Democrats during a marathon score.
Democrats described the bill, called the American Confidence in Elections Act, as a blatant attempt to disenfranchise voters of color, protect wealthy donors and undermine Washington, DC’s right to self-governance.
Advocates say the 224-page bill is full of common measures to improve voter confidence and election integrity. It will encourage states to adopt voter ID requirements; override certain DC election laws; prevent federal funds from flowing to states that allow non-citizen voting or “ballot harvesting,” where third parties collect voters’ ballots; and prohibit federal agencies from tapping conservative nonprofits.
“Over the past 20 years, voters on both sides of the aisle have lost faith in our elections,” said House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., at the markup. “The more confident American voters are, the more likely they are to participate. We are ready to fight against false narratives to secure our election.
Republicans have derided their election bill since regaining control of the House at the start of the 118th Congress. The House Administration Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal elections, has held nine hearings on election-related issues and on Monday announced the introduction of the bill at a field hearing in Georgia, whose state laws serve as a model. in law.
