Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) Commends the U.S. House of Representatives for Passing the Presidential Election Reform Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Christine Chen, Executive Director of Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote, made the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives took the important step of passing H.R. 8837, the Presidential Election Reform Act, introduced by Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Liz Cheney (R-WY) to reform the Electoral Count Act of 1887 (ECA).

 

“We applaud the House for passing the Presidential Election Reform Act. The ECA is a vague, outdated law, and is in dire need of reform. The determination of who wins the election for president of the United States cannot be placed in jeopardy as it was on January 6, 2021.”

 

“This new legislation underscores current law indicating the vice president’s role in tallying that states’ electoral vote is ministerial and that they have no role in determining the validity of any state’s electoral counts. The bill also clarifies that if members of Congress object to any electoral votes, such objections should be very specific and tied to a narrow set of requirements under the Constitution.”

 

“This legislation also provides a process for presidential candidates to sue in federal court if a governor or other state official withholds the state’s lawful results from being transmitted to Congress. Additionally, the bill makes clear that rules governing an election in a given state cannot be changed by the state after the election and then be applied to that same election.”

 

“With these changes, we can be more certain that future elections will not unrightfully cause a constitutional crisis. The integrity and security of our elections are at stake; the time to update the ECA is now, while we still can. We urge the Senate to swiftly pass this bipartisan bill, before it is too late.”