The Honest Elections Project, a conservative group that advocates for more restrictive electoral laws, is releasing a vote on Tuesday arguing that HR 1, the Democrats’ radical electoral reform and the House passed the voting right earlier this month, is “out of sync with American voters.”
The group’s memorandum, which will be sent to members of Congress and state legislators on Tuesday, ahead of a critical Senate hearing on the bill, cites a commissioned survey in which most respondents support voter identification laws and agree that “strong electoral safeguards and protections inspire confidence, making it harder to hide fraud.”
“HR 1 is out of sync with American voters. Few adopt its specific provisions, or its guiding principle that electoral integrity and voter confidence measures make voting ‘difficult’ and that Congress must impose new laws to eliminate them, ”writes the executive director of the Honest Elections Project , Jason Snead, in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Hill.
The memo comes just as the Senate Rules Committee is preparing to hold a hearing on the Senate fellow for HR 1, also known as “Act for the People”, on Wednesday.
The House passed electoral reform and the voting rights bill mainly according to party lines in early March, but the measure faces an uncertain fate in the 50-50 Senate, where it is unlikely to pass without a change in obstruction rules.
The legislation requires states to offer ballots by mail, establish electronic electoral registration to allow voting on the same day, and expand early voting. It also includes an alternative solution to voter identification laws, saying that states that have them must allow unidentified voters to provide a written sworn statement attesting to their identity.
And it calls for the establishment of an independent commission to redesign congressional districts every 10 years, in an effort to end party gerrymandering.
The legislation says states must allow a voter to designate a person to return their absentee ballot, which Republicans have criticized as equivalent to a harvest of votes. It also reviews the campaign financing system, including imposing a six-to-one federal campaign correspondence on small donations.
Democrats described HR 1 as vital to restoring faith in the electoral process, defending the right to vote and reforming campaign financing.
The memo that will be distributed on Tuesday is based on an online poll of 1,200 registered voters, conducted by the voting company by the 501 (c) (4) organization of the Honest Election Project. The survey was conducted from March 4 to 10 and lists a margin of error of plus or minus 2.83 percentage points.
He found that 77 percent of respondents agree that voters should be required to show photo identification when voting and that 66 percent agree that voters who vote absent or by mail must comply with a photo identification requirement.
The survey also found that 80% agree that “electoral fraud takes voters out and casts doubt on the legitimacy of the democratic process” and 80% also agree that “strong electoral safeguards and protections inspire confidence by making it harder to hide fraud and easier dispel false allegations of fraud. ”
Sixty-two percent of respondents believe that the practice of paid political candidates, campaigns or organizers going door to door to collect absentee votes directly from voters should be illegal.
The memo also argues that American democracy is currently experiencing a credibility crisis, stating that the 2020 presidential election “was marked by confusion, random changes in electoral laws and a progressive legal blitz that used courts to undemocratically weaken safeguards. and distorting the rules for party advantage. ”
“Millions of voters doubt the legitimacy of future elections. If it persists, this distrust can turn into apathy and disinterest, and take public discord to alarming new levels, ”he says.
Polls show that Republicans did not accept the outcome of the 2020 elections amid President Trump
Donald TrumpGood luck, Dan Bongino! The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden’s next act: massive infrastructure plan with tax increasesFrequent and false claims that the victory was stolen from him through widespread fraud. There was no evidence of widespread election fraud that would have altered the final outcome of Biden’s victory.
An NPR / PBS NewsHour / Marist poll released in December revealed that 61% of Americans in general – but only 24% of Republicans – believe the results of the 2020 elections were accurate.
In a statement of support for HR 1 after its approval by the Chamber, President biden
Joe BidenGood luck, Dan Bongino! The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden’s next act: massive infrastructure plan with tax increases said the bill is needed especially after an “unprecedented attack on our democracy”, referring to Trump’s effort to overturn election results and the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol.
“The right to vote is sacred and fundamental – it is the right from which all of our other rights as Americans derive. This historic legislation is urgently needed to protect that right, to safeguard the integrity of our elections and to repair and strengthen our democracy, “said Biden, adding that he hopes to work with Congress to” refine and advance this important bill. “
Republicans, however, criticized the bill as a takeover and a violation of state rights. They criticized several provisions of the bill, including one that would require states to automatically register criminals to vote after they have served their sentences.
The memo being released on Tuesday coincides with a broader push by conservative groups to defend against the approval of HR 1. These groups include Heritage Action, Susan B. Anthony List, Club for Growth, Family Research Council and Tea Party Patriots, among others.