It is called the “For the People Act of 2021.” It’s anything but. North Carolina Congressman David Rouzer characterizes some of H.R. 1’s provisions as “outrageous.” Here’s a taste of his concerns as he prepared to vote “no.”
- Makes “pandemic-style” election changes permanent.
- in 2020, states rushed to make changes in the name of COVID-19, like expanding mail-in voting without safeguards to protect ballot integrity, which created chaos, increased irregularities, and undermined public trust in our election process. H.R. 1 makes many of these changes permanent.
- Imposes liberal California voting methods on every state.
- H.R. 1 would force states to permanently expand mail-in voting, legalize ballot harvesting, and rescind voter ID laws.
HR1 passed the U.S. House of Representatives on March 3, 2021 by a vote of 220 to 210. One Democrat voted no, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. All Republicans voted no.
Election integrity is fundamental to a free society. Lack of faith breeds cynicism and apathy. Both are bad news for our republic. When lack of faith grows large, it can even lead to chaos and violence, as we saw on Jan. 6. What occurred on that day was horrifying. Those who engaged in violence should be held accountable. We must do everything we can to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Election integrity is required to do that.
The importance of election integrity is reflected in the Locke Foundation’s focus on an umbrella of election policy issues. Locke’s Andy Jackson writes extensively about election and voter issues, while Locke’s Jon Guze, an attorney, analyzes the legal side of elections issues.
To say Jon is no fan of H.R.1 is an understatement. Jon told Locke’s Mitch Kokai that H.R. 1 will shake our already shaky faith in the integrity of elections, negatively effect public discourse and donor privacy, and ultimately lead to one-party rule. Each is alarming; taken together they are the recipe for instability.
Reason #1 That H.R. 1 Should Alarm You: The Integrity of Our Elections Is At Stake.
Reason #2 That H.R. 1 Should Alarm You: Your Privacy Is At Stake.
Reason #3 That H.R. 1 Should Alarm You: It Could Lead To 1-Party Rule.
Now we wait for the U.S. Senate’s turn at this unwise, 800-page piece of legislation. You can count on the Locke Foundation to provide updates.