The recurring proposals that endorse eliminating or subverting the Electoral College by some kind of “interstate compact” is a bad proposal for many reasons. The Electoral College is necessary to help preserve our democracy.
The Senate held its first hearing on Democrats’ legislation to nationalize elections while eliminating voter ID and most other state election safeguards. Former Attorney General Eric Holder testified that voter fraud “simply doesn’t exist.”
S.15, an act related to correcting defective ballots, passed the Vermont Senate on March 18 by a vote of 27-3. The purpose of the legislation is to make election policies and procedures adopted during the Covid pandemic emergency permanent features of Vermont elections.
While we welcome legal immigrants to our nation and our state, and encourage them to pursue citizenship through the legal process, the right to vote should remain an incentive to pursue citizenship and a reward for doing so.
“S.15 is a monumental step forward for voter access to the ballot box. Here in Vermont, and nationally, vote by mail has been shown to dramatically increase voter participation in the elections process. I am a firm believer that our democracy is stronger when we all participate.”
Republican lawmakers in New Hampshire are pushing proposals to restrict student voting and tighten voter ID requirements while blocking attempts by Democrats to expand early voting and mail balloting.
If HR 1 becomes law, it will interfere with the ability of states and their residents to determine the qualifications and eligibility of voters, to ensure the accuracy and validity of voter registration rolls, to secure the integrity of elections, and to participate and speak freely in the political arena.
When voter fraud occurs, the result is voter suppression — ballots cast fraudulently have the effect of diluting the pool of legitimate votes, while ballots that are illegitimately disqualified, destroyed, or “lost” are suppressed in the most literal sense.
The bill known as HR 1, or the For the People Act, should be called “the Federal Takeover of Elections Act,” Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose says.
Dear Senators Leahy and Sanders of Vermont: Please vote against HR 1 for the good of your constituents. This bill will encourage voter fraud, leave voter registration rolls unreliable and weaken our democracy. It undermines the personal sovereignty of the Vermont voter.
“It’s my understanding this number has grown since their data collection, now surpassing 250 bills. This opportunistic gambit is cause for alarm.”
On Town Meeting Day one Vermont community banned activist flags on school grounds, 24 communities approved retail marijuana, and various candidates who dug in on key issues saw victory or defeat.