Weekly Columns and Op-Eds

Democrats Attempt to Hijack our Election System

By Rep. Paul Gosar

Last week, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrat leadership rammed through the House of Representatives another liberal piece of legislation with every Republican, including me, voting against it.  H.R. 1, the For the People Act, is Pelosi’s top legislative priority for the 117^th Congress.

Riddled with provisions to erode voter registration requirements, accept voter applications from minors, and implement online voting, the massive 791-page bill undermines our fair democratic processes through a concentrated effort to remove accountability from future elections by radically altering our election methods.

My passion for preserving election integrity originates from the belief that fair elections are the bedrock of our democracy. I could not in good faith support H.R. 1 while simultaneously fighting to protect election integrity. One of the most radical pieces of legislation to move through Congress, this bill is a flagrant power grab from the left designed to transform our democratic processes into a one-party system.

Of the many intrusive provisions within H.R. 1 is a new system of automatic voter registration. Without regard for individual preference, this new overarching federal process would automatically register individuals to vote in any elections for federal office without verifying their eligibility or identification.  Worse, the legislation encourages voting in multiple jurisdictions by preventing one state from checking with another state for duplicate registrations. Automatically registering voters without verification also risks registering illegal aliens and others not eligible to vote. 

Additionally, H.R. 1 seeks to move the entire voting process online, making registration, voting, and all other voting measures virtual. This provision has the potential to make it easier for hackers and cyber criminals to commit voter fraud.  Speaking of criminals, the Act mandates felons be allowed to vote.

It doesn’t stop there.  Pelosi’s beloved bill bans election monitoring by outside observers weary of election fraud occurring at poll locations across the country.  If there is nothing to hide, why ban election observers whose sole responsibility is to quietly watch poll locations for obvious errors, threats or voter intimidation? Apparently, this basic check on our country’s most important and sacred institution has no place in Nancy Pelosi’s world. 

The legislation would permit candidates running for office to use campaign funds to pay for non-campaign, personal expenses including child-care and health insurance.  The bill reduces the number of commissioners serving at the Federal Election Commission from six to five, essentially rendering the agency in charge of enforcing campaign laws to be no longer independent.

Once again, Democrats failed to even consult with Republicans on this radical election “reform” bill.  If Democrats were really serious about election integrity, they would have included an amendment that I offered to close loopholes and eliminate foreign online political donations from influencing our elections.  Despite it being well-documented that foreigners finance and make online campaign contributions, this common-sense amendment was summarily rejected by the House Democrats.

It is no wonder that polling conducted by Gallop found that that a majority of Americans say they have no faith in our elections.[1]  And for good reason. Yet, H.R. 1 does nothing to strengthen our democracy.  Instead, it fundamentally weakens rules by favoring progressive politicians determined to undermine faith in our elections and getting more Democrats elected to Congress.