For the People Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Mr. FITZGERALD. Madam Speaker, I rise in objection to H.R. 1, the so- called For the People Act.

Contrary to the title, the bill puts politicians ahead of the American people and codifies nationwide election changes made last year that shook the faith of Americans in the integrity of our elections.

When Americans vote, they put faith in the idea that our system of government gives them a voice in our democracy. If this faith is betrayed and Americans become skeptical of their vote, the trust our system is built upon collapses, and they do not want it to collapse.

The bill would take us down this very path of losing trust by taking constitutionally granted authority out of the hands of the States and local officials and destroying the safeguards of election integrity.

For example, not only would this bill do nothing to address ballot harvesting, but it would take the practice nationwide. We have seen the irregularities created by this practice and how ballot harvesting allows manipulation and intimidation in several elections across this country.

In the 2020 election, this happened in Wisconsin, where ballot harvesting is not supposed to be permitted. In those instances, voter registration and absentee ballots were completed and collected in unsecured outdoor areas prior to the date allowed under State law.

I am also proud to have implemented strong voter ID laws during my time in the Wisconsin Legislature. Unfortunately, over the past year, I saw those protections steamrolled under the guise of the pandemic, allowing over 200,000 voters to submit a ballot without showing an ID.

This bill would permanently open the floodgates by forcing States to allow individuals to vote without an ID simply by signing a statement, effectively banning State voter ID laws.

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