John R. Houk, Blog
Editor
March 5, 2019
If you haven’t heard already, you will probably a lot of
promotion of Rep. (Speaker) Pelosi’s HR 1 named with typical Leftist deception,
“For the People Act of 2019”. There is nothing for the people in this voting
revamp-Bill. There is a load of destroy the American election process which
among other things threatens 10th Amendment States’ Rights.
Thanks to the Heritage Foundation, here is some must read information
to counter the lying propaganda the Dems will be pitching for support.
I am cross posting the Heritage
Foundation email alert and a couple links within that email.
JRH 3/5/19
Your generosity is always appreciated:
**********************
House Democrats’ #1
priority this week is to weaken our election process for decades...
From Janae Stracke, Grassroots
Director
Sent Mar 4, 2019,
12:31 PM
Sent by Heritage Action for America
The House will vote this week on H.R. 1, the Democrat-backed
“For the People Act.”
This deceptively-titled bill would strip the American people and state
governments’ of their power to oversee their own elections and hand it over to
the federal government.
Democrats want to rig the election process in their favor
without anyone noticing, and federalizing election oversight provides them the
perfect cover to do so.
H.R. 1 mandates changes that make it near impossible to
ensure the integrity of our elections. Specifically the bill would:
·
Mandate same-day voter registration
·
Automatically add illegal aliens to voter
registration rolls
·
Abolish state voter ID laws
·
Allow voters to vote outside their precinct
·
Give one party majority control of the Federal
Elections Commission
Nancy Pelosi is using her new power in the House Democrat
majority to weaken our election system for generations. She must be stopped.
In order to shine a big spotlight on the issue, we are
taking to Twitter this Wednesday—and we need your help.
Please join grassroots activists nationwide on Twitter to
expose this election fraud bill. We need to send the message that the “For the
People Act” is #NOTforthePeople.
Join our #TweetFest on Wednesday,
March 6 from 11 am - 2 pm ET to engage with our representatives with
tweets urging them to vote against this anti-democratic bill.
Check out our latest issue brief here to
get smart on the issue. Let’s take over Twitter and show the liberals in
Congress that America still stands for the First Amendment and is against their
#NOTforthePeopleAct. Together, we can bolster the conservative coalition and
make sure there are no conservative votes for Nancy Pelosi’s election fraud
bill.
Talk to you soon,
Janae Stracke
Grassroots Director
Heritage Action
Grassroots Director
Heritage Action
+++++++++++++++++
The Facts About H.R.
1—the For the People Act of 2019
February 1, 2019
SUMMARY
H.R. 1 federalizes and micromanages the election process
administered by the states, imposing unnecessary, unwise, and unconstitutional
mandates on the states and reversing the decentralization of the American
election process—which is necessary for protecting our liberty and freedom. The
bill interferes with the ability of states and their citizens to determine
qualifications for voters, to ensure the accuracy of voter registration rolls,
to secure the integrity of elections, to participate in the political process,
and to determine the district boundary lines for electing their
representatives.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. H.R. 1 federalizes and micromanages the
election process administered by the states, imposing unnecessary, unwise, and
unconstitutional mandates on the states.
2. The bill interferes with the ability of
states and their citizens to determine qualifications for voters and to ensure
the accuracy of voter registration rolls.
3. H.R. 1 reverses the decentralization of the
American election process—which is necessary for protecting our liberty and
freedom.
The Issue
H.R. 1 federalizes
and micromanages the election process administered by the states, imposing
unnecessary, unwise, and unconstitutional mandates on the states and reversing
the decentralization of the American election process—which is necessary for
protecting our liberty and freedom.
The bill interferes
with the ability of states and their citizens to determine qualifications for
voters, to ensure the accuracy of voter registration rolls, to secure the
integrity of elections, to participate in the political process, and to
determine the district boundary lines for electing their representatives.
What H.R. 1 Would Do:
· Seize the authority of states to regulate voter registration and the
voting process by forcing states to implement early voting, automatic
voter registration, same-day registration, online voter
registration, and no-fault absentee balloting.
· Make it easier to commit fraud and promotes chaos at the polls
through same-day registration, as election officials have no time
to verify the accuracy of voter registration information and cannot anticipate
the number of voters, ballots, and precinct workers that will be needed.
· Hurt voter turnout through early
voting by diffusing
the intensity of get-out-the-vote efforts; it raises the cost of campaigns.
Voters who vote early don’t have the same information as those who vote on
Election Day, missing late-breaking developments that could affect their
choices.
· Degrade the accuracy of registration lists
by automatically registering individuals
from state databases, such as DMV and welfare offices, by registering large
numbers of ineligible voters, including aliens as well as multiple or duplicate
registrations of the same individuals.
· Constitute a recipe for massive voter
registration fraud by hackers and cyber criminals through online voter
registration not tied
to an existing state record, such as a driver’s license.
· Require states to count ballots cast by
voters outside of their assigned precinct, overriding the precinct system used by almost all states that allows
election officials to monitor votes, staff polling places, provide enough
ballots, and prevent election fraud. Mandates no-fault absentee
ballots, which are the tool of choice for vote thieves.
· Prevent election officials from checking the
eligibility and qualifications of voters and remove ineligible voters. This includes restrictions on using the
U.S. Postal Service’s national change-of-address system to verify the address
of registered voters; participating in state programs that compare voter
registration lists to detect individuals registered in multiple states;
or ever removing registrants due to a failure to vote no
matter how much time has gone by.
· Cripple the effectiveness of state voter ID
laws by allowing
individuals to vote without an ID and merely signing a statement in which they
claim they are who they say they are.
· Violate the First Amendment and could cover
a vast range of legal activity.
Voter intimidation or coercion that prevents someone from registering or voting
is already a federal crime under the Voting Rights Act and the National Voter
Registration Act. But H.R. 1 adds an additional provision to prevent
interference with registering or voting that is so vague that
it could easily interfere with free speech and other lawful activity.
· Expand regulation and government censorship
of campaigns and political activity and speech, including online and
policy-related speech. H.R. 1 imposes onerous legal and administrative
compliance burdens and costs on candidates, citizens, civic groups, unions,
corporations, and nonprofit organizations. Many of these provisions violate
the First Amendment, protect incumbents, and reduce the
accountability of politicians to the public.
· Reduce the number of Federal Election
Commission members from
six to five, allowing the political party with three commission seats to
control the commission and engage in partisan enforcement activities.
· Prohibit state election officials from
participating in federal elections and impose numerous other “ethics” rules that are
unconstitutional or unfairly restrict political activity.
·
Require
states to restore the ability of felons to vote the moment they are out of prison.
Section 2 of the 14th Amendment gives states the constitutional authority to
decide when felons who committed crimes against their fellow citizens may vote
again. Congress cannot override a constitutional amendment with a
statute.
· Transfer the right to draw congressional
districts from state
legislatures to “independent” commissions whose members are unaccountable to
voters. H.R. 1 makes it a violation of federal law to engage in “partisan”
redistricting and mandates inclusion of alien population, both
legal and illegal, in all redistricting. This is an anti-democratic, unconstitutional
measure that takes away the ability of the citizens of a state to make
their own decision about redistricting.
· Violate separation of powers and directly
interfere with the President’s constitutional duties. H.R. 1 bans his political appointees, such
as the Attorney General, from participating in, directing the defense of, or
assisting in any matter (including lawsuits against a President’s policies,
programs, executive orders, or his enforcement of the law) in which the
President is named as a party.
+++++++++++++
Background Information
H.R. 1 is Speaker
Nancy Pelosi’s signature piece of legislation for the 116th Congress.
Deceptively titled “For the People Act,” its primary goal is to rig the
election system in favor of Democratic politicians by undermining America’s
electoral process.
Under H.R. 1,
massive amounts of elections-related power would be transferred from the states
to the federal government. The bill interferes with the ability of states and
their citizens to determine qualifications for voters, to ensure the accuracy
of voter registration rolls, to secure the integrity of elections, to
participate in the political process, and to determine the district boundary
lines for electing their representatives.
The end goal of
H.R. 1 is clear—to enshrine into law dubious electoral practices that enable
and encourage fraudulent behavior, such as ballot harvesting, false voter registrations, duplicate voting, and ineligible voting.
Heritage scholar
and election expert Hans Von Spakovsky summarized the problems with H.R.
1 as such, "Sometimes
legislation proposed by Congress is bad policy; sometimes it is unnecessary;
and sometimes it is unconstitutional. H.R. 1 is all three."
At 600+ pages long,
H.R. 1 contains many provisions that are unhelpful, unnecessary, and
unconstitutional. Below are just a few of the terrible policies contained
within of H.R. 1:
Sabotages state
voter ID laws—When arriving
at the polls, voters will not be required to show ID and can simply sign a
statement in which they claim to be who they say they are. This undermines many
states’ voter ID laws, which were enacted to combat impersonation fraud, voter
registration fraud, duplicate voting, and voting by ineligible individuals,
such as illegal aliens.
Mandates
same-day registration—States
will be required to immediately register a person to vote upon request, even on
the day of an election. With no buffer-period to verify personal information,
this provision could easily lead to voter fraud.
Automatically
registers ineligible voters—States
will be required to automatically add to voter registration rolls every person,
regardless of voter eligibility, who partakes in certain government programs,
such as receiving welfare or obtaining a driver’s license. Other provisions of
H.R. 1 then restrict the ability of states to verify eligible voters and the
removal of ineligible voters from voter registration rolls. This provision will
automatically enroll ineligible voters such as illegal aliens.
Unconstitutionally
requires states to restore the ability of felons to vote—Upon release from prison, every felon would
immediately be restored the ability to vote. The 14th Amendment to the
Constitution allows states to restrict voting rights to those who have
participated in "rebellion, or other crime." States have the
constitutional authority to decide when or if to restore that right, as long as
they do so in a manner that is not racially discriminatory. H.R. 1 would
attempt to unconstitutionally overrule the 14th Amendment with a statute.
Violates the
First Amendment—H.R.1
deters political free speech by inserting a provision that makes it a criminal
offense to provide “materially false” information that will “impede or prevent”
someone from registering or voting. This provision is so vague that it would
likely interfere with free speech and other legitimate activities.
Requires ballots
be counted outside of the voter’s precinct—This removes the integrity of the local government to verify voter
rolls and oversee elections and gives the power to count votes entirely to the
federal government.
Creates
unaccountable redistricting committees—Currently, congressional district lines are drawn by state governments
which are accountable to their constituents. Allowing unelected officials to
determine congressional districts is a nakedly political ploy to draw more
Democratic districts.
Alters Federal
Election Commission into a partisan organization—Currently the FEC has six members (three
from each party), preserving its bipartisan nature. H.R. 1 would reduce the
number to five, giving one party a majority and the opportunity to weaponize
the FEC for their party’s benefit.
Key Talking Points
o Helps Liberals in Elections—H.R. 1 is designed to fund, elect, and
maintain liberals in Congress, it even allows for using taxpayer dollars to
fund candidates.
o Federalization of the Election Process—H.R. 1 allows for overreaching federal
authority of election processes by imposing unnecessary and unconstitutional
mandates on states.
o Removal of Redistricting Power—Under this bill, the power to draw
congressional districts would be given to an unelected third-party.
o Automatic Registration of Ineligible Voters—H.R. 1 interferes with states’ abilities to
determine qualifications for voters and destroys the accuracy of voter
registration rolls.
o No Accountability for Vote Counting—Destroys the sanctity of the election
process and endangers our democracy by requiring ballots be counted outside the
county’s precinct.
o Felon Voter Registration—Upon release from prison, felons are
automatically allowed to register as voters.
o Unchecked Voter Identification—States will be required to register voters
on the day of elections and instead of requiring voters to bring ID to the
polls H.R. 1 allows for people to simply “sign a statement” confirming
identification. With no buffer-period to verify personal information, this provision
could easily lead to voter fraud.
Call Notes
Hello,
My name is [NAME]
from [CITY AND ZIP CODE] and I am calling today to urge [MEMBER OF CONGRESS] to
vote against H.R. 1.
This bill strips
states’ rights to regulate their individual election processes and undermines
the integrity of our election process. This micromanaging attempt at
federalizing the election process destroys the sanctity of the election process
and endangers our democracy. As with most programs, voting is best regulated at
levels closest to the people.
Four of the most
troubling provisions of H.R. 1 are:
· Requires states to restore the ability of
felons to vote
· Jeopardizes First Amendment rights
· Federalizes congressional redistricting
· Turns the Federal Election Commission into a
partisan organization
These requirements
will make it harder to detect fraudulent votes and make it easier for illegal
immigrants and other ineligible voters to be registered to vote. As a
constituent of [MEMBER OF CONGRESS], I am asking that they stand for election
integrity and vote against H.R. 1.
Thank you for your
time.
Social Posts (remember to insert the
social handle of your member)
TWEET THIS
H.R. 1 is deceptively titled the ‘For the People Act.’ A truer name
would be the #StealElectionsAct
OR
.@MEMBER, H.R. 1 sets a dangerous precedent that strips states of their
election oversight and includes far-left policies that Americans like me do not
support. Please vote against H.R. 1. #NOTForThePeopleAct
OR
H.R. 1 would force states to allow same-day voter registration which
opens the door for excessive fraud. @MEMBER please do not support this
anti-democratic bill. #StealElectionsAct
OR
The falsely named, “For The People Act,” is NOT for the people due to
the nature of its left-wing priorities that would force states to comply with
anti-democratic mandates. #NOTForThePeopleAct
OR
.@SpeakerPelosi cares more about helping felons vote than she does
about securing the border. Oppose #HR1 #NOTForThePeopleAct
Sample Letter to the Editor
Below is a sample
letter to the editor. We encourage you to adapt and personalize the letter
below. Heritage Action Regional Coordinators are always here to help edit your
letter and get it published.
Public confidence and trust in
the validity of election results is key to increasing voter participation.
Americans deserve a fair and accurate election process. This means not only
making sure that every eligible individual is able to vote, but that his or her
vote is not stolen or diluted through fraud. The Democrats “For the People Act”
(H.R. 1) unfortunately would both enable and increase fraud.
H.R. 1 would sabotage state
voter ID laws, which currently combat impersonation and voter registration
fraud, duplicate voting, and voting by ineligible individuals like illegal
aliens. Under H.R. 1, someone could simply sign a statement in which they claim
to be who they say there are. This would be on top of allowing same-day voter
registration. The combination of these two policies that H.R. 1 outlines would
open the door for massive fraud.
The bill would also require
automatically registering individuals to vote who partake in government
programs such as receiving welfare or obtaining a driver’s license. This would
automatically enroll ineligible voters such as illegal aliens who take advantage
of government programs. In addition, it limits states ability to verify
eligible voters and remove ineligible voters from registration rolls.
In addition to these dangerous
policies, it would turn the Federal Election Commission into a hyper-partisan
body. Currently the FEC is bipartisan, with six members (three from each
party). H.R. 1 would reduce the number to five, giving one political party a
majority and the opportunity to essentially rig elections in their party’s
favor.
Sometimes legislation proposed
by Congress is bad policy, sometimes it is unnecessary, and sometimes it is
unconstitutional. “For The People Act” includes policies that are all three,
and I am urging [insert Representative’s Name] to reject this bill.
Graphics (Right click on the image to
download)
__________________
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