U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) on Monday took to the floor of the United States Senate regarding H.R. 1, a bill passed by House Democrats that seeks to usurp states’ control of their own elections.
“Democrats have labeled the bill the For the People Act, but it really should be called ‘For the Democrats Act.’ This partisan bill represents the largest federal power grab in decades, and that’s saying a lot after Democrats rammed through a partisan $1.9 trillion stimulus bill just two weeks ago,” Alabama’s junior senator decried.
He outlined, “Article 1, section 4 of the Constitution grants states the authority to manage their federal election processes. H.R. 1 would take that away. The changes to our federal elections that H.R. 1 proposes should concern every single American. This bill forces a one-size-fits-all election system on our country by federally mandating how states run their elections. This phrase ‘for the people’ means allowing citizens to choose their own leaders and voting processes, not Washington dictating new rules of the game.”
Tuberville specifically criticized that the Democrats’ legislation “would prohibit states from requiring voters to show identification, photo ID or otherwise.”
“Currently, 36 states have requirements where voters need to show ID to vote. Nearly 75% of states agree that it’s a good idea to confirm that you are who you say you are when you go to exercise one of the most important civic duties. But the point is states get to decide,” he explained.
“H.R. 1 would also make same-day voter registration mandatory in all 50 states. … Many states have already had the opportunity to consider it and adopt it, or not if they choose. But if H.R. 1 is enacted, it would overrule the laws and choices of 29 states that have already decided they don’t want such a risky provision in their voting process,” Tuberville added. “Additionally, the Democrats are using this bill to make all the worst practices of pandemic-era elections mandatory in all 50 states. Universal mail-in ballots, ballot harvesting, and drop boxes, just to name a few.”
He stressed, “What works for Alabama may not work for California, or Oklahoma, or vice versa. State governments know the needs of their people and communities better than bureaucrats here in Washington, D.C. They have different laws, rules, and regulations, including when it comes to voting. The same goes for the counties within each state. Jefferson County, the most populous state in Alabama, is different from Greene County, the least populous. While the state sets broad parameters, county governments are given some flexibility to run elections in the way that is accountable and responsive to their people. H.R. 1 fails to recognize the difference in our states and counties. This bill is not ‘for the people.’ It’s not ‘of the people’ or ‘by the people.’ Americans want faith and trust in their elections. They want to feel confident in a process that works. H.R. 1 injects distrust into the process, and that’s not what Americans want or need.”
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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