By now you've probably heard about the Democrats' plan to take over our country's election process at the federal level. H.R. 1, or the "Death of Democracy Act," would federalize the election process and give bureaucrats in Washington nearly unlimited control over state and local elections.
A Convention of States is the only way to permanently eliminate the threat of federal overreach, but Convention of States Action President Mark Meckler recently penned an op-ed highlighting another short-term strategy all states should be using.
Texas legislators have introduced a raft of measures that would protect election integrity and restore trust in our democratic systems.
Several bills are proposing to standardize early voting hours to reassure voters that midnight deliveries of ballots cannot sway an election. State Rep. Jared Patterson, for example, introduced a bill to limit early voting to the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. As he pointed out on Twitter, “Momma always said nothing good happens after midnight. That includes at polling places.”
Other legislation would target the fraud that inevitably accompanies mail-in voting. Some would limit the period in which voters could return mail-in ballots, while others would require mail-in ballots to be accompanied by a driver's license or other qualifying identification.
Another set of bills would impose strict penalties on election officials who fail to do their job. Some would add or increase penalties for fraud or mistakes made by election officials, and others would ensure that noncitizens cannot vote by forcing officials to purge voter rolls.
Sen. Hughes' bill, for example, would impose a $100 fine per voter on election officials who fail to purge their rolls in a timely manner.
So while Leftists in D.C.'s solution is to not just turn a blind eye to election integrity, but encourage exactly the opposite, Texas is moving swiftly and decisively to give voters confidence in the election process.
It's important that other states follow Texas' lead for two reasons, Mark explains.
First, violating election law should never be tolerated in a free, democratic republic. Democrats are trying to make it easier to break the law, and we cannot let that happen.
Second, we need to restore trust in our democratic systems. The 2020 election shed new light on all the ways our democracy can be threatened, and the American people need to have confidence that every vote is accounted for and every voter is legitimate.
Only a Convention of States can end the threat of a federal takeover of our election processes. While Americans work tirelessly to call that Convention, states can put measures in place to shore up our election systems until a Convention can be held. Texas is doing that right now, and other states should follow their lead.
