Episode 114: ADM for Oct. 3, 2022: Electoral Count Act Versions Moving in the U.S. Senate, Passed in the House

American Democracy Minute

Electoral Count Act Versions Moving in the U.S. Senate, Passed in the House
Today’s Links
Articles:
Democracy Docket - Senators Introduce Amendment to Electoral Count Act Reform Bill
Democracy Docket - U.S. House Passes Bill to Reform the Electoral Count Act
Democracy Docket - Comparison table of Senate & House versions of the Elector Count Act reform bills
The Hill - Trump-McConnell feud takes new turn with Electoral Count Act
Politifact - Electoral reform: What would updating the Electoral Count Act do?
Groups Taking Action:
Protect Democracy, Brennan Center for Justice, Business for America, Campaign Legal Center
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

There’s more action on reforming the Electoral Count Act, with one amended bill pending in the U.S. Senate, and one bill now passed in the House. Senator Mitch McConnell has now signaled his support for the Senate bill, so how soon could it be passed?

We’ve been reporting since June on the Electoral Count Reform Act, which tries to prevent the overthrowing of a legitimate election by expanding definitions of who makes certification decisions, the role of the Vice President and correcting other vagaries in the Electoral Count Act of 1887.

This week, the Senate’s version passed out of the Senate Rules committee, with an amendment proposed by Senators Amy Klobuchar and Roy Blunt, by a vote of 14-1. The bill had already lined up 10 Republican votes when it received the endorsement of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The Hill reports Sen. Rob Portman’s prediction that 20 to 30 Republicans will vote for the bill.

September 21, the House passed its own version, put forward by Reps. Liz Cheney and Zoe Lofgren, both members of the January 6th Committee. The bill passed 229-203, with all Democratic votes, and only nine Republicans supporting the bill.

Democracy Docket reports that the Senate’s Version of the Electoral Count Reform Act will come up for a floor debate after the midterm election.

We have links to articles and a great comparison of the Senate and House versions at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.

Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it’s something we DO!”

For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.