Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Morelle Opening Remarks at the Subcommittee on Elections Hearing on Election Observer Access

Washington, D.C. – Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Joe Morelle (D-NY) delivered the following opening remarks at the Subcommittee on Elections Hearing titled, Election Observer Access:

“Good Morning. Thank you, Chairwoman Lee, for yielding time and thank you, Ranking Member Sewell and all of my colleagues.

“Election observers and observer access are a longstanding and necessary part of the electoral process.

“The House of Representatives itself has been conducting an election observer program for decades, exercising the constitutional authority which has been mentioned by my colleagues under the Judging Clause of Article 1, Section 5, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution to send observers to gather information in elections that may eventually come before the House in the form of a contest.

“House observers conduct their work in an unobtrusive, bipartisan manner.  

“I agree that we should continue working to improve transparency and education around our elections, but that also needs to be balanced with the safety and security of election workers, to ensure voter privacy, and the security of ballots and voting equipment. 

“Voters must be free to cast a ballot without intimidation, and election workers must be free to process and count those ballots without fear of harassment, threats, or harm.

“Additionally, as state and local election officials work to improve access, transparency, and security, they need funding to do so.  Federal elections are on the ballot in every state every two years, and we should fully fund their security and administration.

“Tragically, this country has a long history of voter intimidation.  

“The Republican National Committee itself, for example, was subject to a consent decree for several decades for alleged voter intimidation tactics.

“In recent years, lies and disinformation about the presidential election fueled armed protests in Arizona in 2020 as ballots were being counted.  

“In testimony before the Committee in 2021, former Maricopa County Recorder and now-Secretary of State Adrian Fontes detailed, for example, how a staff member of his was pulled outside the building where ballots were being processed and counted and was cornered by apparently armed members of the protest, requiring intervention from local law enforcement.

“At that same hearing, Janice Winfrey, City Clerk of Detroit, Michigan, testified that during the tabulation of absentee ballots, multiple challengers had to be removed because of disruptive behavior.

“Philadelphia City Commissioner Lisa Deeley also testified before this Subcommittee in 2022 on how, during the ballot counting process following the 2020 election, she was escorted everywhere by two police officers, even when going to the bathroom inside the Convention Center, where workers were supposed to be safe while processing ballots.

“In Arizona, again, in 2022, individuals armed and in tactical gear showed up to “monitor” ballot drop boxes.

“And these examples are not the only ones in recent years. 

“There is no doubt, America’s elections are fair and secure.  Election observation is a critical part of the democratic process.  We can and we must strike a balance between transparency and safety.

“And in search of that balance I’m looking forward to today’s testimony and discussion.  

“Thank you, Chairwoman Lee, I yield back.”

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