Bipartisan Senate Group Strikes Deal to Rewrite Electoral Count Act
New York TimesDec 27, 2022
The Facts
A bipartisan group of senators, led by Joe Manchin III (D-WV) and Susan Collins (R-ME), on Wed., introduced two plans to update the 1887 Electoral Count Act in an effort to guarantee a peaceful transition of power.
One measure proposes to appoint a state's governor as the lone official permitted to submit a state's slate of electors following a presidential election and also make the Vice President's role in certification mostly ceremonial, among other measures.
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
Many votes in the 2020 election were fraudulent, corrupt, and highly irregular. The election should've been sent back to the state by the Vice President. Now the Democrats, and even some RINO Republicans, want to continue their corruption and make it virtually impossible to challenge future election results.
Republican narrative
Many of the elements of these proposals are necessary and common sense. Their bipartisan nature keeps Democrats from giving too much power to the federal government over how states conduct their elections. If the Democrats can resist the temptation to sabotage this effort by taking the included restrictions further, this has the makings of a positive bill for the country.
Democratic narrative
These proposals are good and necessary, but they don't go nearly far enough. We're still staring down state legislatures that are restricting voting rights, and a Moore vs. Harper SCOTUS ruling that could lead to those legislatures gaining unlimited power in conducting federal elections. We still need future legislation to codify election integrity, and American democracy depends on it.