H.R. 1 is a bill which would make sweeping changes to the election system. The U.S. House passed the measure nearly down party lines with a vote of 220 to 210. No Republican voted for H.R. 1, and one Democrat who had previously signed on as a co-sponsor voted against it.
All five Republican members of the Oklahoma House Delegation, of course, voted against the measure.
Lucas says it seems Democrats are in a hurry to push through their agenda
“Last week, the House passed a deeply misguided and costly stimulus bill sold to the American people as desperately needed public health funding- yet Republicans and even a few moderate Democrats alike argued it was unnecessary and poorly targeted. Tonight, House Democrats continued their hasty “my way or the highway approach” and passed yet another misguided piece of legislation, weakening our election security, redirecting hard-earned taxpayer dollars to fund political campaigns, and federalizing state and local elections.
“Even more concerning, in the rush to send H.R. 1 to the Senate, Democrats ignored feedback provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology which would have provided critical assistance in our communities continued efforts to conduct safe, secure, and accessible elections.
“I take great pride in sharing the successes of Oklahoma’s secure and accessible elections. While some states are clearly more successful than others, H.R. 1 would surely disrupt and infringe upon the role states play in conducting their elections. I strongly support encouraging Americans to exercise their right to vote and ensuring access is not denied to voters, but H.R. 1 does nothing but perpetuate House Democrats’ efforts to pass hurried, misguided, partisan bills under the guise of being for the American people,” said Lucas in a statement after the vote.
Congressman Tom Cole says H.R. 1 is meant to help politicians not the voter.
“Although titled by Democrats as the ‘For the People Act,’ a better name for H.R. 1 would be the ‘For the Politicians Act’ since its aim is to change campaign finance law and state election systems to preserve and boost their own majority. This is a blatant and shameful power grab, which would essentially create a welfare program for politicians and candidates on the taxpayer dime.
“Moreover, forcing the 50 separate and unique states to follow the same guidance would have damaging consequences, especially for states like Oklahoma that are already highly successful in conducting free, fair and secure elections. Indeed, this legislation would greatly impede the traditional power of the states to control their own elections,” said Cole.
Congressman Markwayne Mullin feels much the same way.
“H.R. 1 is nothing but a federal government takeover of elections that will take power away from the American people and hand it directly to politicians in Washington,” Mullin said. “It would federalize our elections and impose California-style voting policies, like ballot harvesting and prohibiting voter ID laws, on Oklahoma and every state in the country. The bill would even allow for taxpayer dollars to fund political campaigns. Make no mistake: H.R. 1 is not for the people. It’s for the swampy politicians who want to tip the scales of power in their favor.”
Congressman Kevin Hern had offered two amendments to the bill.
“I introduced two amendments to this bill, which were both rejected by Democrats. The first would require proof of citizenship in order to cast a ballot, and the second would withhold funds from states that fail to certify their results on time. Deadlines matter, and thanks to very specific language in the Constitution, we know exactly when every federal General Election will be held until the end of time. There is no reason for election certification to be delayed by 30, 60, even 90+ days, as it was in places like California, New York, and Iowa this year,” said Hern.
Hern says constituents are raising concerns about this move by the House Democrats.
“My constituents are horrified that this is the kind of legislation we’re wasting our time on in Congress,” said Rep. Hern. “While the majority should be reaching across the aisle to pass legislation that has a shot at gaining support in the Senate and becoming a real law, they choose to waste our time on partisan power grabs that fail to address the legitimate problems facing our nation. With the “For the Politicians” Act, Democrats are authorizing a federal takeover of our elections, which have historically been handled at the state and local level. They want to spend your tax dollars to fund political campaigns. More than that, they want to give a 6:1 match on donations up to $200. This is an egregious misuse of tax dollars, money that does not belong to the government in the first place – it’s your hard-earned money.”
Congresswoman Stephanie Bice posted on Facebook that H.R. 1 would inhibit Oklahoma’s already secure elections.
“H.R. 1 is a one-size-fits-all Washington mandate and takes direct aim at Oklahoma’s existing election laws. Oklahoma had safeguards in place to protect ballot integrity during Covid. We shouldn’t allow legalized ballot harvesting or any disregard of voter ID laws,” said Bice.
The measure heads to the U.S. Senate.
