On Friday, Statesman Academy℠ alumnus and Indiana congressman Jim Banks introduced an important election reform bill called the Save Democracy Act. Would you take a moment to ask your member of Congress to support it?

Banks, who is now Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, put forward this bill to address structural issues in American elections that were a cause of great concern even before last fall’s elections. For all elections involving federal candidates, it would require safeguards in the areas of voter registration, casting of ballots, and vote tabulation.

These reforms are needed for two reasons. First, they provide safeguards to election integrity in areas where specific concerns and allegations have arisen. Second, they address a crisis of a lack of voter trust in our election process. In 2020, that broken trust was experienced primarily by Republican voters, but in some prior years, the concerns came mainly from Democrat voters. Restoring trust in elections is critical to our system of government and shouldn’t be a partisan issue.

Specifically, the Save Democracy Act would, in federal elections, institute reforms to make voter registration, voting, and vote tabulation less susceptible. Here are key highlights:

• Prohibits automatic voter registration
• Requires voter citizenship verification
• Prohibits states from sending out unrequested absentee ballots
• Prohibits ballot harvesting
• Requires voter ID for absentee and in-person voting
• Requires that absentee ballots be received by the close of election day
• Strengthens protections for observing both voting and vote tabulation
• Requires that ballot counting, once begun, continue until completed—no delays or pauses

Please ask your member of Congress to sponsor and vote for the Save Democracy Act. It’s quick and easy on our Action Center. And please share this email or the link with others so they can take action as well.

Thanks for upholding election integrity!

Sincerely,

John Paulton
Mobilization Manager

The North Carolina governor’s race hit a new snag this week. A protest was filed Wednesday alleging that fraudulent absentee ballots were cast for Democrat gubernatorial candidate Roy Cooper in Halifax county. Similar protests are being filed in 10 other counties.

According to Gov. Pat McCrory’s campaign, the protest alleges a “massive scheme to run an absentee ballot mill involving hundreds of ballots, perpetrated by and through the Bladen County Improvement Association PAC.”

Russell Peck, campaign manager for McCrory, said it appears their worst fears have come true.

“This absentee ballot fraud scheme may run deeper than just Bladen County,” he said. “Unfortunately, we may also have uncovered the real reason Roy Cooper fought so hard against efforts to prevent voter fraud as attorney general.”

The ballots first came to the attention of officials when a candidate for Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor complained that hundreds of the documents appeared to have similar handwriting patterns on the signatures.

The investigation could take months to complete before the race is certified. John Rustin with the North Carolina Family Policy Council said the investigation will be a true test of the system.

“The right to vote in our country is fundamental,” he said, “and the confidence of the voters in the electoral process is essential to the proper working of our American form of government. Every legitimate vote must be counted, and any and all efforts to defraud the system must be eliminated, no matter how long it takes.”