Posted on 12/14/2020 4:53:09 AM PST by Kaslin
The 2020 mess of an election has highlighted the tremendous impact that faulty elections in one state can have on the country as a whole. It’s wasn’t until we were 244 years into it that we realized that our country desperately needs federal election regulation reform.
The truth is that country-wide popular elections are a modern advent. Our country started out with mostly legislative selection of electors. In our nation’s first presidential election, six of the 10 states appointed electors by direct legislative appointment, without holding popular elections. In the second presidential election, nine of the 15 states did the same. In the third, nine of the 16 states did not hold popular elections.
Today, Americans don’t trust their state legislatures with that responsibility. We practice popular vote elections for electors. But with 150 million or so people voting, problems are bound to occur.
States were entrusted with administration of federal elections, but Congress was entrusted with oversight of the same.
The Elections Clause of the Constitution provides Congress with broad authority to regulate congressional elections: “The Times, Places, and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.” Article II, Section 1, Clause 4, adds: “The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.”
In 1879, the Supreme Court determined that Congress may make election law regulations and may alter them; and, that federal law supersede state law if there is a conflict, “for the power of Congress over the subject is paramount. It may be exercised as and when Congress sees fit to exercise it.”
Exercising their powers, Congress has passed legislation to regulate the timing of federal elections, voter registration requirements, absentee voting requirements, accessibility provisions for the elderly and handicapped, and prohibitions against discriminatory voting practices.
But federal election laws, compared to Congressional legislation in other areas, are lacking.
The lack of standardized regulations and federal statutory constraints of potential fraud in federal elections, coupled with the unprecedented power grab by governors under the guise of “pandemic response,” has created the perfect cover for election impurity.
After the 2020 election, about one half of the country does not believe that the election was pure. According to a Ramussen poll, 47 percent of U.S. voters say that “it’s likely that Democrats stole voters or destroyed pro-Trump ballots in several states to ensure that Joe Biden would win.” That proportion is startling.
“Congress has the constitutional power to pass laws for the free, pure and safe exercise of [the right to vote],” declared the Supreme Court in 1884.
Congress must act. Half of the country believes the 2020 election was determined by impure votes. That’s a problem and one to which Congress holds the key to prevent from recurring. Congress must exercise its right, and its responsibility, to “pass laws for the free, pure and safe exercise” of the right to vote.
New laws must limit the time for casting a vote in the elections. New laws must regulate the types of equipment/voting machines that can be used and what kind of safeguards they must have to preserve the integrity of the votes. New laws must regulate “improper use of money” or dark money interjected to influence our elections — this is a power Congress “undoubtedly” possesses according to the Supreme Court. These are but some of the concerns that plagued the 2020 election. The list is extensive and Congress must address voter concerns accordingly.
As far as the four states at the heart of the 2020 election tumult, we can address our national grievances with them by demanding that Congress attach conditions to federal funds sent to, or even deny funding to, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Georgia, until they implement acceptable changes to their election administration. Congressional spending power is a potent tool of persuasion.
Congress is responsible to every eligible American voter, certainly to the 150 million who voted in the 2020 election, to enact laws to preserve the purity of federal elections. This is their job. Their job is not to tweet about free college for all it’s to protect federal elections. It is our job to make sure our elected representatives do their job.
Going forward, American voters must make election reform a political priority. The Courts aren’t the right avenue, Congress is. Instead of wasting time and money supporting fruitless litigation efforts, we must change course and instead we must focus on pressing our representatives. We must call on every Member of the House and every Senator to pass election law reform. Their historically lackadaisical approach to federal election laws is unacceptable. Attention to this area of the law must be a priority for each and every one of them. If they don’t listen, vote them out vociferously in 2022 and 2024.
Anyone who believes the rats nest of Congress can fix anything has dung in their brain locker.
I don't know if anyone has been paying attention, but we don't actually have elections anymore in this country.
Vote by mail in all states, with no signature verification, and ballots mailed to all households.
That’s all fine and dandy, but what about this election? Is all hope lost for this election?
The author is simply not thinking things through...wow!
Too late. Way too late.
> Vote by mail in all states, with no signature verification, and ballots mailed to all households.
This is the plan, states that actually ran clean elections in 2020 will have their systems corrupted now too.
First, they’d have to WANT to have honest elections.
If biden/harris take the reins, it’s game over.
You can forget about any subsequent elections.
There are other avenues, however...
Who cares....the country is gone, the media is corrupt, government is corrupt, no more fair elections no matter what happens and a lot of people will never vote again because what’s the point....there’s no saving the country now unfortunately.
To restore fair elections, many current election authorities must be dragged into the street and shot.
Until they are dead, there will be no real elections
What a pointless exercise in navel pondering. Why the hell would a Democrat-controlled House try to eliminate fraud when it is working so well for them?
Ummmm....well...we have this very tiny slight problem.
Our so-called ‘representatives’ are no longer bound to their constituents’ desires, direction and/or needs.
They’ve become our rulers rather than our representatives via of election fraud. The “unwashed masses” no longer have voice. Our votes mean absolutely nothing anymore. Why would they want to change that?
Don’t be ridiculous - of course there will be a Presidential election in 2024.
The ballots will even be pre-marked, for the convenience of the voter!
We will have tens of millions of newly naturalized Democratic voters within a few years.
The donkeys will be running the USA for the next two decades.
We will all become experts on Venezuelan-style economics.
First, they’d have to WANT to have honest elections.
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You’ve got that right. Elections are the power of the people. Through elections politicians win or lose. Without them, they have nothing to fear. So why would they want to fix this?
And they really give a shit what we think of them...
What’s the point of writing an article like this? If Biden completes the steal, and Abrams gets it done in Georgia - and it looks like she will - the scumbag Left will own the whole show and elections won’t matter anymore.
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