Stop the Federal Power Grab of Our Elections
Dear Elected Representative:
Please vote NO on attempted federal power grab over American elections. No fewer than five bills to increase federal control over American elections have been filed in the 113th Congress. Even a cursory review of these bills reveals that passage of these bills would enable an unconstitutional federal power grab accompanied by electoral practices that would drastically reduce safeguards against electoral fraud.
The bills submitted so far are:
. H.R. 50 - Streamlined and Improved Methods at Polling Locations and Early Voting Act of 2013 (SIMPLE)
. H.R. 280 - Same Day Registration Act of 2013
. H.R. 281 - Voter Access Protection Act of 2013
. H.R. 289 - Value Our Time Elections Act of 2013 (VOTE)
. S. 9 - Clean and Fair Elections Act Constitutionality: The federal government's authority regarding elections under Article I, Section 4 is limited, only to be used to address specific situations under extraordinary circumstances and not authorized for widespread or permanent federal regulations of elections.
Alexander Hamilton explained this in Federalist Paper #59:
"[T]hey have reserved to the national authority a right to interpose, whenever extraordinary circumstances might render that interposition necessary to its safety.... Suppose an article had been introduced into the Constitution, empowering the United States to regulate the elections for the particular States, would any man have hesitated to condemn it, both as an unwarrantable transposition of power, and as a premeditated engine for the destruction of the State governments?"
Electoral Practices That Aid Fraudsters:
Don't be fooled by the nice-sounding phrases. These bills would force the states to implement early voting, same-day voter registration, automatic voter registration, and Internet voter registration. One of the bills would repeal current state laws requiring photo ID. Whether you agree or disagree that these electoral practices aid fraudsters, it's an important constitutional principle that the states should have the right to compete with each other to make elections safe from fraud as designed by the Founding Fathers of this republic.
Congress Has Already Caused Electoral Problems:
Many of the problems in our elections can be traced to past federal legislation, such as the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (Motor Voter), the so-called Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) or Sections 575 through 589 of the NDAA for 2010 (HR 2647).
If Congress wants to do something about voter registration problems or long lines at the polls, it would do well to start by undoing the harm it's already done. A good start would be repeal of Motor Voter, HAVA of 2002, and sections 575 through 589 of the NDAA for 2010.
Beware of Sneaky Tricks Such As Riders:
If public opposition stops these bills, they might get slipped into other bills as riders, such as what was done by the 111th Congress in the fall of 2009. Internet voting for the military and federal overseas voters was proposed in S. 1415. Although S. 1415 never passed, its Internet voting provisions were inserted as a rider into H.R. 2647, the NDAA for 2010, as sections 575 through 589.
Please vote NO on these bills that would accomplish a federal takeover of our elections and aid fraudsters. And please don't let them get sneaked in as riders on other legislation. I would appreciate a reply from you regarding your position on this important issue.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Citizen
Please vote NO on attempted federal power grab over American elections. No fewer than five bills to increase federal control over American elections have been filed in the 113th Congress. Even a cursory review of these bills reveals that passage of these bills would enable an unconstitutional federal power grab accompanied by electoral practices that would drastically reduce safeguards against electoral fraud.
The bills submitted so far are:
. H.R. 50 - Streamlined and Improved Methods at Polling Locations and Early Voting Act of 2013 (SIMPLE)
. H.R. 280 - Same Day Registration Act of 2013
. H.R. 281 - Voter Access Protection Act of 2013
. H.R. 289 - Value Our Time Elections Act of 2013 (VOTE)
. S. 9 - Clean and Fair Elections Act Constitutionality: The federal government's authority regarding elections under Article I, Section 4 is limited, only to be used to address specific situations under extraordinary circumstances and not authorized for widespread or permanent federal regulations of elections.
Alexander Hamilton explained this in Federalist Paper #59:
"[T]hey have reserved to the national authority a right to interpose, whenever extraordinary circumstances might render that interposition necessary to its safety.... Suppose an article had been introduced into the Constitution, empowering the United States to regulate the elections for the particular States, would any man have hesitated to condemn it, both as an unwarrantable transposition of power, and as a premeditated engine for the destruction of the State governments?"
Electoral Practices That Aid Fraudsters:
Don't be fooled by the nice-sounding phrases. These bills would force the states to implement early voting, same-day voter registration, automatic voter registration, and Internet voter registration. One of the bills would repeal current state laws requiring photo ID. Whether you agree or disagree that these electoral practices aid fraudsters, it's an important constitutional principle that the states should have the right to compete with each other to make elections safe from fraud as designed by the Founding Fathers of this republic.
Congress Has Already Caused Electoral Problems:
Many of the problems in our elections can be traced to past federal legislation, such as the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (Motor Voter), the so-called Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) or Sections 575 through 589 of the NDAA for 2010 (HR 2647).
If Congress wants to do something about voter registration problems or long lines at the polls, it would do well to start by undoing the harm it's already done. A good start would be repeal of Motor Voter, HAVA of 2002, and sections 575 through 589 of the NDAA for 2010.
Beware of Sneaky Tricks Such As Riders:
If public opposition stops these bills, they might get slipped into other bills as riders, such as what was done by the 111th Congress in the fall of 2009. Internet voting for the military and federal overseas voters was proposed in S. 1415. Although S. 1415 never passed, its Internet voting provisions were inserted as a rider into H.R. 2647, the NDAA for 2010, as sections 575 through 589.
Please vote NO on these bills that would accomplish a federal takeover of our elections and aid fraudsters. And please don't let them get sneaked in as riders on other legislation. I would appreciate a reply from you regarding your position on this important issue.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Citizen
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