Roy Blunt, the nation needs your help to prevent the next Jan. 6 before it happens
On Jan. 6, 2021, insurrectionists at the U.S. Capitol, some members of Congress and then-President Donald Trump tried to overturn a free and fair presidential election. It must never happen again.
That’s why Congress must pass legislation this year that clarifies and codifies the counting of presidential electoral votes, the process rioters attempted to short-circuit that day.
Wednesday, the House took an important step toward this goal by approving the Presidential Election Reform Act, a bill sponsored by Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat. The bill amends the 135-year-old Electoral Count Act, the opaque law that provided fuel for the rioters’ fire. It passed 229-203.
Among other things, the House measure:
▪ States clearly that the vice president, or the person presiding over the congressional counting of electoral votes, has no power to judge the validity of votes in any state, or the certification of electors. “The role of the presiding officer is ministerial,” the bill says.
Trump, and some of his supporters, tried to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn certified results in 2021. He had no power to do so. The new bill makes that fact explicit.
▪ Requires the approval of one-third of the members in the House and Senate before an objection to a state’s electors can be heard. It replaces the bizarre one-senator, one-representative standard in current law, which Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri used for his own political purposes on the day of the insurrection.
▪ Provides a mechanism, with deadlines, for states to submit certified results of presidential elections. It provides a way for judges to order states to submit results.
▪ Provides for extension of the voting window if “clear and convincing evidence” shows a state has suffered a catastrophic natural disaster.
These reforms are essential. They support the Constitution and protect the integrity of the presidential vote.
Incredibly, Republicans in our region voted against these commonsense changes. It’s severely disappointing, but not surprising: The area members who voted no — Reps. Sam Graves and Vicky Hartzler in Missouri and Reps. Jake LaTurner, Ron Estes and Tracey Mann in Kansas — also objected to certifying the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania or Arizona, or both, on Jan. 6.
Their crusade against democracy is absurd. Their continuing endorsement of the Big Lie is frightening.
Next week, the Senate rules committee is expected to draft a similar electoral reform bill. Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the ranking Republican on the committee, has endorsed “bipartisan” changes to the process. We applaud his approach.
The full Senate may not act until after the November elections. Time is short: Both houses must work quickly to enact reform before a new Congress begins next year.
Electoral reform will not solve every issue with presidential elections. The Electoral College process is often confusing and counterproductive, and Americans who wish to riot after losing a vote will not always be deterred by the law, or facts.
But the threat to democracy and self-government is not theoretical. Even now, states are considering measures allowing legislators and governors to overturn the people’s will. Big Lie conspiracists are running for office, and many already refuse to pledge they’ll accept the outcome of the election if they lose.
Americans who believe in self-rule must be heard, and their representatives must act. Passing needed reforms in counting presidential votes is a good first step.
