REP LIEU APPLAUDS HOUSE PASSAGE OF LEGISLATION TO PREVENT UNDEMOCRATIC ATTEMPTS TO SUBVERT FAIR ELECTION RESULTS

Press Release

Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) issued the following statement after the House passed the Presidential Election Reform Act (PERA). The bipartisan legislation reforms the Electoral Count Act to ensure that Congress counts the votes of a presidential election as required by the Constitution.

"I was honored to cast my vote in support of the Presidential Election Reform Act. January 6th was an incredibly dark day for our nation and for our democracy. The events of that day and the perpetuation of the Big Lie illustrated the need to fortify our sacred democratic processes. That is why this legislation, which has received bipartisan support, is so important. The bill takes commonsense, necessary steps to strengthen the integrity of future presidential elections, including by reaffirming that the Vice President has no authority to reject or delay the count; and by limiting the type of objections that can be made during certification. As a former impeachment manager in the second Trump impeachment trial, I am especially grateful to Congressmembers Liz Cheney and Zoe Lofgren for their tireless work on this pivotal legislation. If this bill had been law during the 2020 election, January 6th as we experienced it would not have happened."

The Presidential Election Reform Act will:

Enact clear, comprehensive counting rules that reaffirm that the VP's role at the count is ministerial; raise the objection threshold to one-third of each house; and list the explicit Constitutional grounds upon which Members may object to a state's electoral votes.
Require governors to transmit lawful election results to Congress in a timely fashion -- or be compelled to by a federal court.
Require states to conduct presidential elections under state laws as they exist prior to Election Day, making it clear that states cannot change the rules governing an election after it has occurred.
Ensure that presidential elections are only extended for genuine catastrophic events.

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