The Republican National Lawyers Association submitted a comment to the Presidential Advisory Election Integrity Commission (EIC). As we have previously posted and highlighted, the EIC was seeking public comment ahead of it next meeting on Tuesday, September 12th in New Hampshire.
The United States has the finest election system in the world and enjoys a proud position as the leading, longest lasting representative democracy in the world. Yet, there is always work to be done to improve the election system, and America is currently experiencing a crisis of confidence in its election system. A recent poll showed that a record-low 30% of Americans are confident in the “honesty of elections.”
While liberals and establishment Democrats continue to oppose the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (EIC) and its work, the EIC is taking an important step to address this crisis of confidence in our election systems by studying the problem, inviting expert testimony, and encouraging public comments. Indeed, the EIC is engaging in exactly what one of the EIC’s most vocal opponents, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, recently called for: a “public debate about these issues where experts can discuss policies like same-day registration as well as alleged voter fraud.” By studying and taking seriously the problems and perception of problems in our election system, the EIC has an unparalleled opportunity to improve the public’s confidence in the process and outcomes of elections with the goal of increasing voter turnout, for all eligible voters. The RNLA thanks the EIC and its commissioners for undertaking this important work.
While some citizens will always vote and some citizens will never vote, for many citizens whether they turn out to vote depends on the candidates and issues on the ballot and whether they believe their vote counts and will make a difference. Despite the hyperbolic rhetoric, studies and polls consistently show that election integrity is important to the American people and that greater election integrity will likely lead to greater voter confidence and turnout
The Commission also released a proposed agenda for the meeting, available here. We look forward and encourage a meaningful discussion on the issues that threaten our votes and election integrity, generally, as we work to improve our system moving forward. The RNLA will bring you the highlights from this meeting next week here on our blog, our website, and on Twitter and Facebook.