Conservatives Oppose H.R. 1, a Partisan Attack on the First Amendment
Conservatives are united in opposing H.R. 1, the attempt by House Democrats to fundamentally undermine the American electoral system.
While they cloak the bill in terms of “restoring democracy” and “preventing corruption,” the legislation has one goal: to protect incumbents at the expense of the First Amendment, federalism, and individual voter integrity.
H.R. 1 undermines the First Amendment. H.R. 1 undermines key Supreme Court cases that protect elections as fundamental to free speech. It would allow the Federal Election Commission to track and catalogue more of what Americans are saying, register even very small political donations, and make public those who donate to different charitable and nonprofit organizations. The legislation will subject private citizens to intimidation and harassment for their private and political beliefs, far broader than what was done in the IRS targeting scandal in 2013.
H.R. 1 yanks election authority away from the states. H.R. 1 reasserts the ability of the federal government to micromanage state elections through a process known as “preclearance.” Preclearance, which was previously overturned by the Supreme Court, requires states to get permission from the federal government for changes as small as modifying the hours of an election office, or moving a voting location from a school gym to the library. Critically, none of these practices would undo any fraud or corruption. Rather, these same practices result in incorrect registrations and inaccurate voter data, while failing to address actual corrupt practices like ballot harvesting. Moreover, they are all designed to eliminate the federalism that keeps elections transparent, local, and fair.
H.R. 1 attacks individual voter integrity. America was founded on the principle of “one person, one vote.” H.R. 1 turns this on its head by weaponizing every aspect of the political regulatory system. The Federal Election Commission, which is currently a neutral body, would be given a 3-2 makeup, guaranteeing a partisan outcome with little accountability toward the actual votes which are cast. H.R. 1 also includes a 600 percent government match for political donations, and authorizes even more public dollars to campaigns. The bill also wants to make Election Day a new paid holiday for government workers, with additional paid vacation given to bureaucrats to oversee the polls. All of these changes are designed to distance the outcome of the election from those casting their votes.
H.R. 1 would also implement the following changes:
Forces states to implement mandatory voter registration, removing civic participation as a voluntary choice, and increasing chances for error.
Mandates that states allow all felons to vote.
Forces states to extend periods of early voting, which has shown to have no effect on turnout.
Mandates same-day voter registration, which encourages voter fraud.
Limits the ability of states to cooperate to see who is registered in multiple states at the same time.
Prohibits election observers from cooperating with election officials to file formal challenges to suspicious voter registrations.
Criminalizes protected political speech by making it a crime to “discourage” someone from voting
Bars states from making their own laws about voting by mail.
Prohibits chief election officials in each state from participating in federal election campaigns.
Mandates free mailing of absentee ballots.
Mandates that states adopt new redistricting commissions.
H.R. 1 would cause sweeping and irrevocable damage to the free speech, privacy, and integrity that are central components to free and fair elections in America. We oppose H.R. 1 in the strongest terms, and urge all conservatives to do likewise.
The Honorable Edwin Meese III
Attorney General
President Ronald Reagan (1985-1988)
Adam Brandon
President
FreedomWorks
The Honorable Colin A. Hanna
President
Let Freedom Ring, Inc.
Noah Wall
Vice President of Advocacy
FreedomWorks
Jessica Anderson
Vice President
Heritage Action for America
David Bozell
President
ForAmerica
Lisa B. Nelson
Chief Executive Officer
American Legislative Exchange Council
The Honorable David McIntosh
President
Club for Growth
Daniel Schneider
Executive Director
American Conservative Union (ACU)
The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop
White House Advisor
President Ronald Reagan (1981-1985)
The Honorable Jim DeMint
Member, South Carolina
United States Senate (2005-2013)
Ed Corrigan
Vice Chairman, Conservative Action Project and
Executive Director, Senate Steering Committee (2003-2012)
Thomas Fitton
President
Judicial Watch, Inc.
The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell
Chairman
Constitutional Congress, Inc.
The Honorable Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, II
President
Senate Conservatives Fund
The Honorable Hans A. von Spakovsky
Commissioner
Federal Election Commission (2006-2007)
The Honorable Tom DeLay
Former Majority Leader
US House of Representatives
Grover Norquist
President
Americans for Tax Reform
Floyd Brown
Chairman
America Fighting Back PAC
The Honorable Donald Hodel
Secretary of Energy, President Reagan
Secretary of Interior, President Reagan
Rod D. Martin
Founder and CEO
The Martin Organization, Inc.
Haley E. Martin
President
The Martin Foundation
Shawn A. Mitchell
Former National Chaplain, National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA)
Ellen F. Grigsby
Director of Institutional Partnerships
Open Doors USA
Melissa Ortiz
Founder and Principal
Able Americans
Kathleen Patten
President and CEO
American Target Advertising
Allen Hebert
Chairman
American-Chinese Fellowship of Houston
Trent England
Executive Vice President
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
The Honorable George K. Rasley, Jr.
Managing Editor
ConservativeHQ.com
Ed Martin
President
Phyllis Schlafly Eagles
Roxanne Phillips
Member, Executive Committee
Council for National Policy