Former Vice President Mike Pence is sounding the alarm on H.R. 1. In an op-ed published by The Daily Signal, he explained:
Congress will vote this week on HR 1, the so-called For the People Act, a massive 800-page election overhaul bill that would increase opportunities for election fraud, trample the First Amendment, further erode confidence in our elections, and forever dilute the votes of legally qualified eligible voters. . .
We have to do everything we can to change that and ensure that the American people, no matter which political party they favor, have confidence in the fairness and security of the election process.
HR 1 mandates the most questionable and abuse-prone election rules nationwide, while banning commonsense measures to detect, deter, and prosecute election fraud.
Pence continued:
HR 1 is an unconstitutional, reckless, and anti-democratic bill that would erode those foundational principles and could permanently damage our republic.
After a year in which our nation has endured a global pandemic, economic hardship, and a contentious election, now is not the time to further inflame passion and division. It is time for our nation’s leaders to help America heal.
To restore public confidence in our elections, our leaders should uphold the Constitution, reject congressional Democrats’ plan to nationalize our elections, and get about the serious work of state-based reform that will protect the integrity of the vote for every American.
As Congresswoman Claudia Tenney points out, the problems experienced during her most recent bid to represent New York's 22nd Congressional District illustrate what elections across the country could look like if H.R. 1 becomes law:
New York’s election debacle reveals H.R. 1’s real-world consequences. If you weaken election oversight, fail to protect ballot integrity, and force unfunded mandates on our communities like this bill does, the errors exposed in my race won’t be the exception, they will become the new norm. Republicans and Democrats alike have concluded that the mistakes made in New York’s 22nd District likely replicated themselves in contests throughout the state. If H.R. 1 had been law, more mistakes would have been made in this and other races. The new bureaucratic nightmare created by H.R. 1 would have made fair and transparent counts impossible.
A broad spectrum of organizations and coalitions oppose H.R. 1:
#HR1 #ForThePoliticians Act is opposed by those who run elections, who advocate for free speech, who stand up for individuals w/ disabilities, & who are fighting against a partisan makeup of the Federal Election Commission. This bill is not for the people. What they are saying ⬇️
— House Admin. Committee GOP (@HouseAdmnGOP) March 3, 2021
#HR1, the #ForThePoliticians Act, restricts people's First Amendment right and violates their privacy. This bill is 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆. pic.twitter.com/95agyUxoft
— House Admin. Committee GOP (@HouseAdmnGOP) March 3, 2021
According to those who actually run elections, #HR1, the #ForThePoliticians Act, would undermine the progress states have already made to increase voter access. This bill is 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆. pic.twitter.com/ZVWEoDffom
— House Admin. Committee GOP (@HouseAdmnGOP) March 3, 2021
#HR1, the #ForThePoliticians Act, makes the commission in charge w/ interpreting, enforcing, & administering federal campaign finance law partisan, instead of its current bipartisan makeup. This bill is 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆. pic.twitter.com/OFOkGzyFgZ
— House Admin. Committee GOP (@HouseAdmnGOP) March 3, 2021
The House is expected to vote on H.R. 1 later today.