House Republicans are set to push forward legislation on Thursday that aims to restrict voting, loosen regulations on campaign financing, and overhaul election laws in Washington, D.C. The American Confidence in Elections Act seeks to implement nationwide some of the voter suppression measures that Republican-led states enacted following baseless claims by former President Donald Trump about voter fraud in the 2020 election, which he used to try to overturn the results.
Given the Democrats’ control of the Senate and the White House, the bill has little chance of becoming law. In the previous Congress, Democrats prioritized legislation to expand voting rights and increase transparency in campaign financing. However, their Freedom to Vote Act was filibustered by Republicans, with Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin refusing to support changes to the filibuster rules.
The House Administration Committee will mark up the bill on Thursday. Republicans’ decision to advance the bill shows their continued adherence to the false narrative of election distrust that Trump and other elected officials propagated. In the past, 139 House Republicans voted to challenge Electoral College votes even after Trump had incited an insurrection.
Representative Joe Morelle, the ranking Democrat on the House Administration Committee, criticized the Republican bill, stating that it restricts the right to vote and favors corporate interests. He advocated for passing the Freedom to Vote Act instead to protect and strengthen democracy.
The American Confidence in Elections Act by House Republicans would impose stricter requirements for mail-in voting and loosen restrictions on dark money in elections. It would repeal President Joe Biden’s executive order to promote voter registration through federal agencies. It would also prohibit states from receiving federal funds for election administration unless they ban third-party ballot collection, a practice that Republicans have claimed without evidence is prone to cheating.
The bill would introduce new voter identification requirements for initial registration and for requesting mail ballots. States allowing noncitizen voting in local elections or containing municipalities that permit it would face penalties such as reduced federal election administration funds and a heightened paperwork burden.
Regarding campaign finance, the bill would ban the federal government from requiring disclosure of contributions to 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations that support or oppose political candidates. It would also increase the campaign contribution limit for donors to state and national party committees and remove limits on a party’s coordinated spending with a candidate’s campaign. Furthermore, the bill includes a complete rewriting of election law for Washington, D.C., with the aim of implementing conservative election policies.
Critics argue that the bill is an attack on home rule for Washington, D.C., as its residents, who lack congressional representation, have no say in the legislation. Committee Democrats plan to introduce their Freedom to Vote Act as an amendment during the markup process. The bill represents a clash between the two parties’ visions for American democracy, with the Republicans seeking to make voting more difficult and increase the influence of big money in politics, while the Democrats aim to expand voting rights and reduce the dominance of big money.