Wagner Statement On H.R. 1

Statement

Washington, D.C. -- Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), Chair of the House Suburban Caucus, released the following statement on H.R. 1, the For the Politicians Act:

"Free, fair, and transparent elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. We all agree Americans must be able to trust in the integrity of our elections. However, this legislation would have the opposite effect on our election processes. H.R. 1 would take away the constitutional right of state and local governments to decide and run their own elections. It would grant the federal government unprecedented power over elections and pave the way for rampant fraud, abuse, and litigation.

"This bill legalizes ballot harvesting, expands mail-in voting, and nullifies commonsense voter ID laws that simply make sure a voter is who they say they are. The For the Politicians Act even allows for the first time ever taxpayer funding of campaigns with a 6 to 1 contribution match. H.R. 1 is a cynical and partisan measure that will erode faith in our democracy, not restore it.

"I am proud of how Missouri and our local counties managed our elections, and believe we can be a model for meaningful, bipartisan election reform. Our local election administrators took care to ensure votes were counted properly and without unreasonable delays. Unfortunately, the legislation before us would cause even greater uncertainty in our elections at a time when fraud and misinformation has caused so many to lose faith in the integrity of our election systems. It would also cause unnecessary delays in the counting process, leading to confusion among voters, and ultimately a lack of confidence in the system. It is vitally important every American citizen knows that their votes will be counted, and counted quickly, not lumped in with illegally cast votes and counted over the course of weeks or months."

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