House passes bill to reform Electoral Count Act

The House of Representatives passed a Bill to reform election countingRepublican Rep. Liz Cheney and others are trying to prevent another January 6, 2021, when pro-Trump thugs stormed the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the electoral vote count for the 2020 presidential election. The final vote was 229 to 203, with nine Republicans joining Democrats in supporting the bill.

The nine Republicans are Cheney and the House of Representatives. Tom Rice, Adam Kinsinger, Peter Major, Jamie Herrera Boitler, Fred Upton, John Carter, Anthony Gonzalez and Chris Jacobs.

The Presidential Election Reform Act, sponsored by Cheney and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a member of the House Jan. 6 committee, ensures that Congress receives from each state election credentials that accurately reflect voters’ wishes, requiring Congress Treat the electoral vote as a constitutional requirement and reiterate that the vice president’s role in approving electoral votes is only ministerial, after Trump publicly urged then-Vice President Mike Pence to “reject fraudulently elected electors” “. Pence refused, saying he had no authority to do so.

The bill also raises the threshold for any opposition to state electoral votes in the House or Senate from one member in each chamber to one-third in each chamber.

“Let me be clear — this is a family table issue, and we have to make sure this anti-democratic conspiracy doesn’t succeed,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in the House before the vote. “It’s a dinner table issue, because by taking away the American people their fundamental freedom to choose their leaders, it’s taking away their voice in the policies we pursue that can have a huge impact on their daily lives. ”

House Republican leaders encouraged Republican members to vote against the bill. None of the nine Republicans who voted for it will be on the ballot in November, Four lost the primary Trump-backed challenger and five who chose not to run for re-election. Eight of them voted to impeach Former President Donald Trump’s actions ahead of the Jan. 6 attacks.

The measure still needs to pass the Senate before it can be signed by President Biden.

“What Donald Trump is trying to convince the vice president to do is illegal under current law, and we confirm that first, but we need to take steps to make sure it doesn’t happen another January 6,” Cheney said in a statement Tuesday. Telephone.

In the Senate, Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin announced Wednesday that a similar bill, the Electoral Turnover Reform and Presidential Transition Improvements Act, now has 10 Republican co-sponsors and 10 Democrats Co-sponsors. The fact that 10 Republicans signed as co-sponsors shows that the bill has enough support in the Senate.

“We are pleased that bipartisan support for these sensible and much-needed reforms to the Election Counting Act of 1887 continues to grow,” Manchin and Collins said in a statement Wednesday. “Our bill was elected across ideological spheres. Legal experts and organizations. We will continue to work to increase bipartisan support for our legislation to correct the flaws in this antiquated and ambiguous law.”

On Wednesday, the Office of Management and Budget issued a statement formally supporting the Presidential Election Reform Act.

“The Administration, like Congress, is interested in preserving the electoral process in order to preserve the will of the people, as expressed through a democratic process mandated by law,” OMB said. “…Americans deserve a better understanding of their The vote will lead to the process of electing the president and vice president.”

— Rebecca Kaplan contributed to this report