ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans plan to move quickly in their effort to overhaul the nation’s voting procedures, seeing an opportunity with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress to push through long-sought changes, including voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. They argue these measures are necessary to restore public confidence in elections, confidence they say has eroded due to false claims by President-elect Donald Trump and his allies about widespread election fraud during the 2020 elections.
With the new year upon us, Republicans are under increasing pressure to address Trump's desires to change the way elections are conducted across the United States. This move follows the party’s recent electoral successes, giving them renewed hope they might usher through reforms long discussed but previously stalled.
The primary pieces of legislation expected to be introduced are the American Confidence in Elections Act (ACE) and the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE), according to GOP Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, who chairs the Committee on House Administration. Steil stated, “We need to improve Americans’ confidence in elections.” This sentiment highlights the GOP's strategy to tackle perceived weaknesses within the current voting process.
Nevertheless, these reform efforts are likely to face considerable resistance from Democrats, who view the GOP's proposed measures as attempts to restrict rather than protect voting rights. New York Rep. Joe Morelle, the ranking Democrat on the same committee, expressed skepticism, saying, “They have spent most of the time... really restricting the rights of people to get to ballots.” This division reflects broader disputes over election integrity and voter access between the two parties.
Morelle suggested there might be room for some bipartisan efforts, particularly around issues like federal funding for election offices and reasonable voter ID requirements with added protections to avoid disenfranchisement. Democrats are particularly concerned about how certain states' strict ID laws disproportionately impact groups such as college students or those without permanent addresses, complicate their ability to vote.
One of the underlying themes of the GOP's push is addressing the belief among many voters about noncitizen voting. While they maintain this requires urgent attention, research indicates incidents of voting by noncitizens are extraordinarily rare, typically stemming from errors rather than malicious intentions. Brad Raffensperger, Georgia's Secretary of State and staunch supporter of stricter voting requirements, stated, “What we’ve done by doing those audits is give voters confidence… we do not have noncitizens voting here in Georgia.”
Indeed, Georgia’s audits have confirmed effective citizenship verification, having identified only 20 alleged instances of illegal voting among nearly 7.3 million registered voters. This record strengthens Republican arguments for tightening voting processes across the state and possibly nationally, arguing for eliminating loopholes perceived to exist within the current system.
Despite these assertions, critics question whether such actions truly reflect the values of fair and equitable access to voting. Morelle pointed to the discrepancies between the GOP's claims of noncitizen voting and the actual absence of evidence to substantiate those claims after the election was held.
Significant discussions surrounding the concept of early voting and mail ballots are heating up as well. Both Raffensperger and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who is aligned with the Democrats, highlighted the popularity of these practices among voters. Transitioning to a one-day voting process, as suggested by Trump, could limit these widely accepted voting methods, complicate access for many voters.
So, what will this legislative push lead to? Changes made at the federal level will require cooperation from state and local election officials across the nation to implement any new rules. The conversation surrounding voting rights and election integrity has sparked intense debates across the political spectrum, stressing the need for reforms but also for protections against disenfranchisement.
Republicans believe they can use this moment to solidify changes to the electoral process they have long sought. The emphasis is on ensuring the electoral system builds trust with the American people, who are increasingly divided over the calls for greater scrutiny versus expanded access to the ballot box. The forthcoming legislative moves could significantly reshape the future of elections across the U.S. as these debates continue to evolve.
