WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Darin LaHood voted no on H.R. 1, Democrats' “landmark” legislation that would establish a federally mandated approach to our electoral process, politicize the independently-run Federal Elections Commission (FEC), and allow for a federal match of small-dollar donations to campaigns. The ACLU, an organization that generally supports the Democratic platform, stated in a letter, that this legislation would infringe upon the free speech rights of Americans. Rep. LaHood released the following statement after the vote today:
“The right to vote and take part in the democratic process in the United States is an essential part of fulfilling the American dream. I have been and will continue to be supportive of more people exercising their civic duty through the electoral process,” stated Rep. LaHood. “Unfortunately, this legislation will undermine the constitutional rights of our states, suppress the free speech rights of Americans across the country, subsidize political campaigns with taxpayer money, and increase the vulnerability of our electoral system to fraud. It’s disappointing that the Democrats' “landmark” piece of legislation for the 116th Congress is just a political power grab that will undermine the security of our electoral system.”
Rep. LaHood went to the House floor during debate on H.R. 1 to voice his opposition for this legislation. You can watch the video here.
What does H.R. 1 do?
- Politicizes the Federal Elections Commission (FEC)
- Currently, the FEC is a bipartisan commission made up of six members and is charged with enforcing campaign finance laws
- H.R. 1 will shrink the panel to a five-member partisan commission, which would limit the free speech ability of American citizens through partisan decision making
- Creates a taxpayer slush fund for campaign contributions
- H.R. 1 will create a 6:1 government match on small dollar contributions of $200 of less in congressional and presidential campaigns
- For every $200 in donations made to a campaign, the federal government would match $1,200
- Federalizes the electoral system
- Under the constitution, states have the right to determine the time, place, and manner of elections
- H.R. 1 obstructs states’ Article 1, Section 4 right to determine their registration and voting practices under the Constitution by requiring federally mandated practices
- Expands the electoral systems vulnerability to fraud
- H.R. 1 will create a one size fits all federal election system that would impose same-day voter registration across the country, allow for sworn statements to be used in place of voter identification, and require automatic voter registration
- H.R. 1 fails to impose any sufficient enforcement tools to guard against fraudulent voting practices and fails to criminalize fraudulent registrations
- H.R. 1 requires provisional ballots to be accepted at any polling location, which could result in votes being counted in the wrong precincts
