Kelly Introduces Legislation to Strengthen Election Integrity and Restore Faith in America's Electoral System 

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) today unveiled H.R. 8753, the Protect Election Integrity Act of 2020. This legislation will update federal election law to re-establish faith in America's electoral system lost during the 2020 election.

"As our nation waits patiently for the official results of the 2020 presidential election, one thing has become abundantly clear: the administration of the election in several states has caused millions of Americans to lose faith in our electoral system," said Kelly. "The Protect Election Integrity Act of 2020 will help restore their trust, which is essential to the health of our republic."

Background

H.R. 8753 is the House companion to Senator Josh Hawley's (R-Mo.) S. 4893. The legislation would amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require states to have certain election procedures in place to be eligible for funding under that law, including:

• a law that bans the practice of ballot harvesting in state elections;
• a law that permits observation of polling places and vote counting by at least two appointed representatives of each campaign;
• a law requiring that mail-in and absentee ballots be counted and recorded immediately upon receipt with results kept secret until the polls have closed on the date of the election;
• a law requiring that ballot counting begins when the polls close and does not stop until all ballots are counted;
• a law providing video surveillance of absentee and mail-in ballot drop boxes;
• a law requiring election officials to be transparent regarding plans for staffing and equipment in advance of election day;
• and a law requiring that municipal entities responsible for certifying elections conduct audits of their voting systems, the findings of which are to be made public.

The United States Congress has jurisdiction over federal elections, and in addition to the above requirements for states to be eligible for federal funding, this legislation would prohibit the practice of ballot harvesting in elections for federal office.

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