I hope my colleagues who insist on continuing this charade, understand that their actions will be remembered as among the most shameful in our nation’s history. Generations of Americans to come will learn of their attempt to undermine the democratic institutions our country was founded upon.
To those other colleagues—Republicans and Democrats alike—who will uphold their oath of office and help lead us down a better path, I thank them for defending our democracy. Our Constitution must never be taken for granted. We must continue to support and defend it every day, as our oath demands. I am proud to serve alongside them, and I look forward to addressing our nation’s greatest challenges with them in the months and years ahead.
ELECTORAL COLLEGE CONTEST
HON. BRENDAN F. BOYLE
OF PENNSYLVANIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, today we will not pick the next president. For the people did that on November 3rd. Rather, today, in this House, we will decide whether American democracy survives.
Let us be under no illusion. These are the stakes.
If this objection succeeds, and the will of 7 million Pennsylvania voters is cast aside, it will end our representative democracy.
There is no reasonable debate about what happened in this election in Pennsylvania.
Almost 7 million Pennsylvanians voted.
Joe Biden won by over 80,000 votes.
This was certified by bipartisan local elected officials, including Republican officials;
And every single court, whether the judge is a Democrat or Republican, has reaffirmed the outcome.
Now, the objectors claim we do not know the will of the people because the election in Pennsylvania was somehow conducted corruptly. Much of their objection centers around the state law passed in 2019, known as Act 77, that gives voters the option of expanded mail-in voting. Objectors are alleging this law was somehow a plot by Democrats to disadvantage Republicans and rig elections. This is false.
Here are the facts:
Act 77 was a Republican-led effort in the Republican-controlled legislature.
Literally every single Republican in the Pennsylvania Senate voted for it.
In the state House, 105 Republicans voted for it; and only 2 voted against it.
Here is what the Republican Speaker of the Pennsylvania House said about Act 77:
“This bill does not benefit one party or the other, or any one candidate or single election. It was developed over a multi-year period, with input from people of different backgrounds and regions of Pennsylvania. It serves to preserve the integrity of every election and lift the voice of every voter in the Commonwealth.”
There is no question as to the facts surrounding this election. They are as clear as they are overwhelming. The only question that remains is this: will this House reaffirm our fidelity to our democracy, or will we end it?
I must concede, Madam Speaker, I have been naı̈ve about one subject. I always just assumed our democracy would naturally endure. I never even questioned it until the last several years.
Two centuries ago, one of our Founding Fathers, cautioned against this. John Adams wrote, “Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.”
I now realize the wisdom of his words. Never again, will I take for granted our democracy. It must be defended by every generation. Always.
But despite the alarm I feel that our democracy has been brought to this breaking point, I still maintain hope.
Growing up in Philadelphia, and raised in an immigrant family, I was often brought down to tour the historic sites. Every summer, without fail, we would spend a day seeing Independence Hall, Congress Hall, the Liberty Bell…
It was at Independence Hall, where our nation was declared free and our Constitution born. At the Constitutional Convention, the oldest and the most widely accomplished delegate was Benjamin Franklin, one of our greatest Founding Fathers, and my city’s greatest citizen. Physically feeble, he rarely spoke throughout the Convention. In a notable address toward the close of the Convention, he gently urged dissenting delegates to put aside their legitimate criticisms and unite to adopt our Constitution.
On the final day, as the last delegates were signing the document, Franklin pointed toward the sun on the back of the Convention president’s chair. Observing that painters had found it difficult to distinguish between a rising sun from a setting sun, Franklin went on to say:
“I have often… in the course of the session… looked at that sun behind the President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting. But now at length I have the happiness to know it is a rising and not a setting sun.”
Madam Speaker, on a day like today, when a mob has stormed the Capitol and some Members are threatening the core of our democracy, it can be hard to tell whether, for American democracy, the sun is rising or setting. But I maintain my faith, that with an overwhelming bipartisan majority in Congress, we will uphold the will of the people and our democracy will live.
CITIZEN’S COMMITTEE FOR ELECTION INTEGRITY’S FINDINGS ON FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS
HON. RUSS FULCHER
OF IDAHO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Mr. Fulcher. Madam Speaker, election law and regulations must be developed and administered at the state and local level. To that end, I believe criteria and engagement from all Idahoans must be included in this debate and want to enter the Committee’s recommendations into Congress’ current debate on free and fair elections.
All political power rests with the people.
Our Constitutionally guaranteed Republican form of government relies on free, fair, and honest elections to select our representatives and leaders.
To ensure equal protection and equal representation of the people, laws governing our elections must meet certain minimum standards.
It is the purpose of this Citizens Committee to concisely articulate the minimum standards for free, fair, and honest elections. These standards shall then be used by our local, state and federal legislators as a metric for reviewing and revising election law to ensure free, fair, and honest elections where the outcome is accepted by all citizens of good will.
Minimum Standards for Fair and Honest Elections
Our Constitutionally guaranteed republican form of government relies on free, fair, and honest elections to select our representatives and leaders. The standards listed here shall be used by our local, state, and federal legislators as a metric for reviewing and revising election law to ensure free, fair, and honest elections where the outcome is accepted by all citizens of good will.
All voting processes, other than those needed to preserve the privacy of a citizen’s vote, must be open and available for direct observation, with no minimum distance requirements, and audit by agents of the candidates or parties.
All election materials must have a secure chain of custody at all times. Election officials must be accompanied by observers when accessing any election materials. Records of the chain of custody shall be complete and available for audit.
All votes, regardless of voting method, shall be held to equal standards.
Voters shall only be qualified electors that are able to verifiably provide their government issued photo identity before being issued a ballot. Voters who provide false information, including information of voter qualification, should face severe penalties.
As a condition of being issued a ballot, the voter’s identity and signature must be recorded in a permanent record (Poll Book).
Original Ballots must have a physical form that allows voting choices to be examined and properly interpreted by the naked eye.
Ballots must have features designed to prevent counterfeiting.
An auditable system for tracking the status of all ballots must be implemented and maintained in the State of origin. The total number of printed ballots must equal the sum of the number of cast ballots, spoiled ballots, and unvoted ballots.
Ballot tabulation must be conducted by two independent and unrelated systems. The difference in totals between the two systems must be less than one half the margin of victory or 0.1% of the vote total, whichever is less. Tabulating machines must only tabulate and not modify ballots in any way, or be connected to the internet.
Before the results of an election can be certified, the ballot counts must be reconciled with the voter records. The margin of uncertainty must be less than one half the margin of victory or 0.1% of the vote total, whichever is less.
Lists of qualified electors must be purged of unqualified persons 180 days before an election. Voter Rolls should be vetted and compared with available government records to identify duplicate or Ineligible registrations.
Laws and regulations governing an election may not be changed for 180 days prior to that election.
All election records should be retained and preserved for not less than 22 months.
