Five Republicans from the House of Representatives have introduced legislation that would improve the way elections are held and have warned that the Democratic Party would try “to attack” efforts to move forward.
The group of Republicans, who serve on the Committee on House Administration (CHA), introduced the American Confidence in Elections Act (ACE) during a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The group explained how the bill would give states the tools they need to hold safe elections and improve voter confidence.
Under this version of the ACE Act, voters would be required to present a valid photo ID, prevent non-citizens from taking part in elections, and put restrictions on ballot harvesting, or having a person or third party collect a ballot or mail-in ballots and turn it in for them.
Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.) explained during the press conference that they “want to ensure that every state across the country has the tools and resources they need” to hold secure elections so that every American would have confidence in the results.
“It should be this simple,” Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), the chairman of the CHA, told Fox News, referring to the legislation as “commonsense.”
Today, I joined @RepBryanSteil and my @HouseAdmin colleagues in Atlanta, Georgia for the introduction of the American Confidence in Elections Act. The #AceAct will increase voter confidence, equip states with election integrity tools, and protect political speech.
— Rep. Stephanie Bice (@RepBice) July 10, 2023
Watch? pic.twitter.com/NuIdoM1bnc
A previous version of the ACE Act was introduced last year in response to the election results of the 2020 presidential election and Democratic politicians introducing an H.R.1, or For the People Act, which would have expanded voting by mail and the federal government’s involvement in elections, according to The Hill.
This version of the ACE Act would also bring an end to organizations “providing direct or indirect funding” to the election administration, a response to “Zuckerbucks.” The provision is a reference to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg pouring money into his non-profit, the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), which then gave roughly $350 million to election departments across the country, according to the National Review.
In addition to Steil and Lee, Reps. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), Stephanie Bice (R-Okla), and Mike Carey (R-Ohio) have supported the ACE Act.
“I have no doubt that the Left is going to attempt to attack, to mislead, to disguise the work that we’re doing,” Loudermilk told Fox News, stressing the importance of getting out of Washington, D.C., and instead, holding open hearings to give people “the opportunity to read, to review the legislation.”
IJR reached out to Steil for a statement but did not receive a response back prior to publication.
