Ranking Member Morelle Statement on New GOP Anti-Voter Bill
Washington, D.C. – Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) issued the following statement on the introduction of the anti-voter, pro-dark money ACE Act:
“This legislation is designed to appease extremist election deniers who have spent the last four years attacking our democracy. It would restrict the fundamental right to vote especially for voters of color, jeopardize the security of our elections, burden local election administrators, and bring more dark money into our electoral process—opening the door to corruption. It’s anti-American.
“While this Republican bill would undermine the voice of everyday Americans and instead empower special interests, House Democrats are working to protect and strengthen our democracy. Together, the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act will protect the right to vote for all eligible Americans, provide election administrators with the resources they need to run our elections safely and securely, and increase transparency in politics.”
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The Anti-Voter, Dark Money ACE Act
Attacks the Freedom to Vote
- Restricts the ability of voters to cast a ballot by mail and bans voters from seeking assistance from other people when they return their ballot.
- Limits the options for voters to register to vote and prohibits federal agencies from engaging in voter registration activities.
- Overrides popular, effective, locally supported pro-voter policies in Washington, DC, including erecting barriers for voters to register, vote in person or by mail, or have their vote counted, as well as prohibiting same day registration policies that help ensure voter rolls are accurate and up to date.
- Targets voting restrictions to disproportionally impact voters of color, urban areas, and voters with disabilities.
Burdens Election Workers
- Restricts funding to election administrators to maintain accurate and updated voter lists, modernize election systems, and administer safe, transparent, accessible elections.
- Empowers partisan poll watchers with unfettered access, allowing them to threaten and intimidate voters as well as local election administrators and poll workers, who are already facing unprecedented harassment.
- Allows partisan politicians to remove non-partisan election officials based on frivolous allegations.
More Money and Less Transparency in Election
- Allows increased contribution limits and empowers extremist dark money special interest groups that pollute our politics with hundreds of millions of dollars and drown out the voices of regular people.
- Eliminates transparency requirements designed to prevent corruption and to allow Americans to learn who is trying to influence their vote and their representatives.
Allows Extreme Gerrymandering
- Protects extreme gerrymandering, which dilutes the power of certain voters – especially voters of color – and allows politicians to choose their voters rather than voters choosing their representatives.