The United States House Republicans announced on January 29 their plans to introduce a comprehensive election reform bill that would establish several requirements for elections, including presenting photo identification and providing proof of citizenship.
Chairman of the House Administration Committee, Bryan Steil, stated that the “Make Elections Great Again Act” (MEGA Act) aims to prevent election fraud. “Americans should have confidence in the integrity of our elections – this includes common-sense voter identity requirements, clean voter rolls, and citizenship verification,” he wrote in a statement. “These reforms will boost voter confidence, strengthen election integrity, and make voting more convenient while making cheating more difficult.”
If passed, the bill will require voters to show photo IDs when voting and verify their citizenship during registration.
The bill also mandates that mailed ballots must be delivered before the end of election day and requires states to use auditable paper ballots.
According to the bill, anyone other than immediate family or legal guardians engaging in activities such as “distributing, ordering, requesting, delivering, or holding” someone else’s ballot would be considered illegal.
Additionally, the bill prohibits anyone from collecting more than four mail-in ballots at once, with exceptions for postal workers or election officials.
The bill also strengthens routine voter roll maintenance requirements, bans “universal vote by mail,” and prohibits states from utilizing ranked-choice voting systems where voters can select multiple candidates for the same office.
House Administration Committee Democratic Chief Joe Morelle, a Democratic Congressman from New York, opposes the bill and accuses Republicans of attempting to “manipulate the system to choose their own voters.”
Morelle stated, “This bill is the latest attempt to prevent millions of Americans from exercising their right to vote. I will oppose this bill at every level.”
The MEGA Act has garnered support from various election advocacy groups, including the American Foundation for Policy Institute (AFPI). The organization stated that the provisions in the bill would prevent non-citizens from voting in U.S. elections.
“As American citizens, voting is a civic duty, a unique privilege, and a fundamental right that helps determine who represents you, defends your beliefs, values, and freedoms,” said Kenneth Blackwell, Chairman of AFPI’s Election Integrity Affairs. “This right has been defended by countless Americans who sacrificed on foreign battlefields. When non-citizens are allowed to vote, this right is trampled upon.”
Ken Cuccinelli, Chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative, stated, “This comprehensive bill will ensure that eligible citizens can easily vote while closing potential loopholes that could be exploited, including banning ballot harvesting, stopping taxpayer-funded partisan voter registration drives, and requiring the use of auditable paper ballots.”