On Tuesday, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced that he and other Republican attorneys general have submitted a letter to congressional leadership in opposition to H.R. 4, Nancy Pelosi's elections power-grab:
In a letter to congressional leaders, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita warns that a reckless piece of legislation under consideration on Capitol Hill “would allow the United States Department of Justice to usurp the authority states rightly possess over their own elections, essentially federalizing the election system.”
Attorney General Rokita’s letter opposing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — or H.R. 4 — is joined by 22 other attorneys general.
Already passed by the House, the legislation requires states to obtain “preclearance” from the federal government before enacting election reforms such as voter identification requirements and voter list maintenance laws.
My office led a 23-state effort to combat federal takeover of states' elections. The proposed bill ignores states’ interest in preventing voter fraud, defending the right to vote & ensuring every legal vote is counted w/o being diluted by illegal votes. https://t.co/KbSFxZEkGD
— Todd Rokita (@AGToddRokita) September 14, 2021
Indiana @AGToddRokita is leading a 23-state coalition against the federal takeover of our elections, known as H.R. 4.
— RAGA (@RepublicanAGs) September 14, 2021
The group of @RepublicanAGs is threatening legal action if the proposed legislation is enacted.https://t.co/uv7SUr7vql
In the letter, the Republican attorneys general write:
This legislation is a misguided, clumsy, and heavy-handed effort to circumvent Supreme Court decisions, state sovereignty, and the will of the people. Unfortunately, the Department of Justice, seeking to undertake its new role as a federal elections czar, has already signaled, in regard to states updating their election laws after the 2020 election, that they “will review a jurisdiction’s changes in voting laws or procedures for compliance with all federal laws regarding elections, as the facts and circumstances warrant." States that create laws based on what works best for their jurisdiction to respond to a crisis of confidence in our elections systems, will inevitably be targeted by the Department of Justice leading to more confusion, litigation, and concerns over the validity of elections going forward. Because the Department of Justice “[does] not consider a jurisdictions’ re-adoption of prior voting laws or procedures to be presumptively lawful,” it shows that the federal bureaucrats are actively looking for opportunities to circumvent the will of the people. Giving the Department of Justice unlimited authority over state election laws is not only unnecessary but also unconstitutional.
Though “[state] legislation may not contravene federal law . . . [the] Federal Government does not, however, have a general right to review and veto state enactments before they go into effect.” We strongly urge you, our nation’s highest leaders, to model the leadership this country needs and to prevent any further division between the states and the federal government. Please be advised that should H.R. 4 become law, we will seek action to protect the sovereignty of all states and the rights of our citizens. (citations omitted)
As Fox News points out, H.R. 4 is one of several election bills that have been pushed by Democrats in recent years:
Democrats have been pushing to pass a major voting bill.since they took control of Washington in January. They initially backed S. 1 and its House counterpart, H.R. 1, which were much more ambitious than H.R. 4.
Congressional Democrats introduced S. 1 several times over multiple years. But they fervently renewed their support for it in 2021 as a way to fight against election security laws in red states. The recent passage of such a law in Texas – and the Supreme Court declining to prevent it from going into effect – have only increased that sense of urgency.
To hear directly from AG Rokita and to learn more about how Republican attorneys general are fighting back against overreach by the Biden Administration, join the RNLA for our 35th Annual National Policy Conference on Friday, September 24, in Arlington, VA!