Israel writes: "While the bill's provisions to ensure a paper trail for American's ballots, give accessibility and privacy for citizens with disabilities, and avoid foreign rigging would seem fairly non-controversial, just one Republican voted for the bill, along with all 224 Democrats present."
Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX). (photo: Drew Angerer/Getty)
28 June 19
So much for the House GOP's stated concern for safeguarding the political process.
he House of Representatives passed the Securing America�s Federal Elections Act (SAFE Act) on Thursday, on a 225 to 184 vote. While the bill�s provisions to ensure a paper trail for American�s ballots, give accessibility and privacy for citizens with disabilities, and avoid foreign rigging would seem fairly non-controversial, just one Republican voted for the bill, along with all 224 Democrats present.
Back in 2018, the Republican majority on the House Intelligence Committee issued a report following its investigation into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election and whether President Donald Trump�s campaign illegally coordinated with Russia�s meddling efforts. The investigation and report � which drew criticism from the committee�s Democrats, who called it �superficial� � were led by Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX).
While Conaway and his team said they did not find any illegal coordination by Trump, they did find significant meddling by Russia and criticized both 2016 campaigns for �poor judgment� in how they handled it. They also wrote that, �The U.S. government�s subsequent response to the Russian active measures campaign during the 2016 election was slow and inconsistent,� and urged �several solutions to help safeguard U.S. and allies� political processes from nefarious actors, such as the Russians,� including more spending on secure elections systems.
On Thursday, the House considered a bill that aimed to address these very problems and to ensure easier access for voters. It included �requirements for voting systems, including that systems (1) use individual, durable, voter-verified paper ballots; (2) make a voter�s marked ballot available for inspection and verification by the voter before the vote is cast; (3) ensure that individuals with disabilities are given an equivalent opportunity to vote, including with privacy and independence, in a manner that produces a voter-verified paper ballot; and (4) be manufactured in the United States.�
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), who lost both legs while serving in Afghanistan and has made advocacy for wounded veterans a priority, joined the Democratic majority in supporting the bill. Conaway, along with 183 other Republican colleagues, voted no.
In a statement, Conaway said the bill would pour money �into the wrong solutions for serious problems facing our nation.�
�This bill does nothing to secure our elections, but instead wastes over a billion dollars from the taxpayers on hyper partisan federal mandates aimed at affecting election outcomes,� he wrote, adding, �Injecting more mandates from the federal government and blindly spending money will not solve our election security problems.�
The bill faces an uphill battle, given that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has blocked votes on virtually all major legislation passed in the House and has dubbed himself �the grim reaper,� killing progressive bills.
