Sen. Cramer Issues Statement on Democrats' Elections Legislation ahead of Expected Vote

Press Release

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement ahead of today's expected vote in the Senate on whether to proceed to legislation offered by Democrats to change elections laws in the United States:

"The Democratic bill we are considering today is an unworkable proposal which violates the election principles established in our Constitution. It is a partisan power grab designed to give states' election authority to the federal government, enact unpopular reforms like ballot harvesting and taxpayer funding of campaigns, and ban the popular policy of requiring voter ID. This legislation is part of a hypocritical effort by Democrats to fundamentally change our election laws in order to keep their party in power. I plan to vote against their partisan proposal and urge my colleagues to do the same."

The Senate is expected to vote this evening on whether to advance to a bill offered by Democrats commonly referred to as S. 1, H.R. 1, or the "For the People Act." If passed, S.1 would:

render state identification (ID) laws meaningless.
In a recent poll, 77% of respondents said they agree photo ID should be showed in order to vote, and 66% agreed those requirements should extend to absentee ballots.
force states to allow paid ballot harvesting.
62% of respondents in one poll thought ballot harvesting should be illegal.
restrict states' ability to remove inaccurate and duplicative registrations from voter rolls.
A poll in 2018 found 77% of Americans supported this kind of regular voter roll maintenance.
Democrats have made it clear that their intention with this legislation is to protect their majorities in Congress ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. One party strategist told the Washington Post that Democrats are "panicked" they will lose control of Congress if they do not pass this bill, while others have told Axios they need to pass this legislation quickly "to ensure they don't get swept out of power due to Republican structural advantages." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said publicly that Democrats would be "better off" in next year's elections if they passed this bill.

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