LaHood Votes No on H.R. 1, Democrats' "Landmark" Political Power Grab

Press Release

Congressman Darin LaHood voted no on H.R. 1, Democrats' "landmark" legislation that would establish a federally mandated approach to our electoral process, politicize the independently-run Federal Elections Commission (FEC), and allow for a federal match of small-dollar donations to campaigns.

"HR 1 will undermine the constitutional rights of states, suppress the free speech rights of Americans, subsidize political campaigns with taxpayer money, and increase the vulnerability of our electoral system to fraud," said Rep. LaHood. "Democrats' "landmark" piece of legislation for the 117th Congress is just a political power grab that will undermine the security of our electoral system."

What does H.R. 1 do?

Politicizes the Federal Elections Commission (FEC)
Alters the current bipartisan makeup of the six- member commission to a partisan five-member commission and establishes a "Speech Czar", limiting free speech and creating a partisan commission
Creates a taxpayer slush fund for campaign contributions
H.R. 1 will create a 6:1 government match on small dollar contributions of $200 of less in congressional and presidential campaigns
For every $200 in donations made to a campaign, the federal government would match $1,200
Federalizes the electoral system
Under the constitution, states have the right to determine the time, place, and manner of elections
H.R. 1 obstructs states' Article 1, Section 4 right to determine their registration and voting practices under the Constitution by requiring federally mandated practices
Expands the electoral systems vulnerability to fraud
H.R. 1 will allow for sworn statements to be used in place of voter identification, and require automatic voter registration
H.R. 1 fails to impose any sufficient enforcement tools to guard against fraudulent voting practices and fails to criminalize fraudulent registrations
H.R. 1 requires provisional ballots to be accepted at any polling location, which could result in votes being counted in the wrong precincts
Weaponize the IRS
H.R. 1 permits the agency to investigate and consider the political and policy persuasions of organizations before granting tax-exempt status

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