House Republicans have introduced a voting integrity act they call “the most conservative election bill to be seriously considered in the House in a generation.”
The House Administration Committee’s bill, named the American Confidence in Elections Act, is a package of over 50 elections-related measures, including legislation to push states to adopt voter ID laws, prevent noncitizens from casting ballots and overhaul voting in the District.
Committee Chair Rep. Bryan Steil, Wisconsin Republican, said during a press conference in Georgia on Monday that the legislation would give states the tools they need to ensure “it’s easy to vote and harder to cheat.”
Mr. Steil said the legislation is built on three pillars: protecting free speech, giving states access to tools and federal resources to shore up voter rolls, ensuring that voter ID usage is a core principle in voting.
“This legislation is the most substantive and conservative election integrity legislation that will come before the House in over a generation,” Mr. Steil said.
It was no accident that the House panel announced the ACE Act in Georgia. The state came under scrutiny for its 2921 GOP-backed voting law.
Democrats on the House panel were quick to call foul on the ACE Act, renaming the legislation the “Big Lie Bill” on social media. Democrats say the bill would restrict voting by mail, increase campaign contribution limits and impose extra burdens on election workers.
Rep. Joe Morelle, the top-ranked Democrat on the committee, said the ACE Act would “appease extremist election deniers who have spent the last four years attacking our democracy.”
Mr. Steil was joined by other conservative members of the committee, including Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia. Mr. Loudermilk said that the bill puts incentives in place for other states to replicate Georgia’s voting law, SB 202.
Democrats on the House panel contended that the ACE Act, similar to Georgia’s voting law, would disenfranchise voters of color.
During a field hearing following the announcement, Mr. Morelle cited a 2022 post-election analysis from the nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice that concluded that Georgia’s law had a dramatic effect on White versus non-White voter turnout.
“We think the legislative effect was exactly what was intended, which was to reduce turnout amongst people of color,” Mr. Morelle said.
Mr. Steil was confident that the ACE Act would be considered by the House, where the GOP holds a slim majority.
Odds for the package would be much longer in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
