‘ACE Act’ Overhauls Election System, Addresses Weak Safeguards and Ballot Harvesting Abuse

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-KY) issued a clarion call for increased election integrity during a joint committee hearing.

The hearing was titled “American Confidence In Elections: The Path To Election Integrity In The District Of Columbia.”

Chairman Comer advocated for the restoration of public faith in the electoral process, lamenting the consequences of weak election policy safeguards and rampant abuse of ballot harvesting.

“Americans must have confidence that our nation’s elections are free and fair,” stated Comer in his opening remarks.

He warned that “a lack of safeguards delay election results, creating uncertainty,” and that “political operatives are abusing the practice of ballot harvesting in many jurisdictions across the country.”

Chairman Comer also expressed concern about the expansion of mail-in voting without the appropriate safeguards.

He observed that “ballots are showing up at wrong or outdated addresses due to inaccurate voter lists. Ballots are even being sent to voters who have died.”

He highlighted the pressing need for an overhaul, emphasizing, “The primary characteristics of the American voting system should be transparency and certainty, not confusion and doubt.”

The centerpiece of Chairman Comer’s call for reform is the American Confidence in Elections Act, otherwise known as the ACE Act.

He stated that “The ACE Act sets forth best practices to ensure a safe, accessible, and secure election system.”

He championed the idea that the nation’s capital, being under Congress’s jurisdiction, should “adopt these best practices and serve as a model for the rest of the country.”

Notably, the Chairman stressed the ACE Act’s commitment to the federalist approach enshrined in the Constitution.

He clarified that the ACE Act does not seek to federalize the electoral system but respects states’ rights to manage their elections optimally.

“Instead of federalizing our electoral system—as our Democrat colleagues tried to do last Congress—the ACE Act respects the states to administer its elections in the best way for the voters of that specific state,” he emphasized.

In closing, Chairman Comer reiterated the need for the proposed reforms, stating that they would hopefully create a model for secure election systems that other states could emulate.

He concluded, “Americans need to have faith that their elections are secure, and this legislation works to restore confidence in these systems.”

He ended his remarks by expressing anticipation for the testimonies of the witnesses and the ensuing discussion on “how this body can legislate common-sense reforms to elections in Washington, D.C. that the states can look to as a model for secure and fair elections.”

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