Lankford, Inhofe Support OK Election Head's Warning about Dangers of Federal Election Takeover

Press Release

Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) today praised a letter from Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax regarding the dangers he sees posed by S. 1 and H.R. 1, the For the People Act, to Oklahoma's free and fair election process. Lankford has worked for years to ensure elections are secure, reliable, and remain state run. In 2018, Lankford delivered a speech on the Senate floor on how, under Secretary Ziriax's leadership, Oklahoma efficiently and effectively blocked Russia's interference attempts on Oklahoma's voting system.

"Secretary Ziriax is a trusted election security professional with national credibility in making sure voting in Oklahoma is easy, fair, and secure, so this warning about S.1 and H.R. 1 should raise red flags for anyone interested in free and fair elections," said Lankford. "Oklahoma's election process is simple and straightforward with paper ballot backups to ensure we can audit and have confidence in our election results. S.1 and H.R. 1 would take elections away from our states to be run by Washington, DC. I strongly agree with Secretary Ziriax's opposition to these bills, and I remain committed to opposing this DC power grab of our elections."

"I could not agree more with Secretary Ziriax--there has never been a greater need to defeat the federal takeover of elections," said Inhofe. "Just as I am a staunch defender of the Constitution and the Electoral College, I will continue to stand up and fight for free and fair elections. Oklahomans deserve to have their voices heard and Washington Democrats' H.R.1/S.1, the misnamed "For the People Act,' is really for liberal politicians. This far-left, unconstitutional bill would give Washington unprecedented power over Oklahoma's elections and the reality is no one who values fair, secure, state-run elections would support it."

In his letter to the Senators, Ziriax wrote, "As Oklahoma's chief election official, I am writing to make you aware of my concerns regarding S.1, companion legislation of H.R.1, which was considered by the United States Senate Rules Committee on May 11, 2021. In short, S.1 is an unnecessary (and constitutionally dubious) federalization of election administration policy that would negatively impact our ability to administer fair and secure elections in Oklahoma. The administration of elections should be left to the States, as the Constitution and our federal form of government intends."

Ziriax went on to write, "If S.1 is enacted, it will lead to less confidence in the veracity of our nation's election process, not more. My recommendation is that Congress drop efforts to federalize election administration and instead focus on proposals that can receive bipartisan support - such as enhancing federal assistance to the States for election cybersecurity."

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