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Roe Opposes Latest Democrat Plan to Federalize Elections

Statement

By: Phil Roe
By: Phil Roe
Date: Oct. 23, 2019
Location: Washington D.C.
Issues: National Security Federal, State and Local Relations Elections

Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after voting against H.R. 4617, the Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act:

"It is extremely concerning that Russian operatives interfered in our democracy by trying to influence the 2016 presidential election. Unfortunately, instead of trying to improve our election security, the Democrats' bill uses foreign interference as an excuse federalize our elections, which I couldn't oppose more strongly. The SHIELD Act provides no resources needed to enhance law enforcement's ability to prevent foreign actors from spreading misinformation but does grant the federal government the power to decide what information is "legitimate". At a time when many East Tennesseans are concerned about Democrats' effort to overturn the 2016 election results through a sham impeachment process, the last thing we should be doing is federalizing elections. Instead, we need to enact commonsense reforms that strengthen our elections against foreign actors and help local governments stop these illegitimate actors.


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