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Today, Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH5) provided the following statement after voting against House Democrats’ partisan bill, H.R.1, that would nationalize elections, prohibit states from implementing commonsense election integrity measures, and use taxpayer dollars to fund political campaigns:

“Once again, there could be a bipartisan agreement to be found if Democrat leadership were willing to work with Republicans. Both parties should be able to agree that election integrity is critical to our country and voting should be safe and secure. Free and fair elections are a bedrock of American government, and H.R.1 is a direct threat to this principle. Like much of the bills passed this Congress, Democrats have pushed their partisan agenda without even consulting Republicans. The result is bad legislation and bad policy.

“H.R. 1 would be the largest change to the American electoral system in our history. This legislative effort clearly exceeds the bounds of the Constitution in its attempt to remove states’ authority over their elections. If it were to become law, our electoral system would become increasing vulnerable to foreign election interference, politicians’ campaign accounts would be filled with taxpayer dollars, and basic voter ID guidelines would be jeopardized.

“This ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to our elections would allow the federal government to determine registration and voting practices across the country while disregarding every state’s voter identification laws and provisional ballot rules. Importantly, H.R.1 limits free speech and imposes vague standards that could prevent Americans from speaking out and organizing on the issues they are passionate about.

“At a time when we should be focused on how to get our economy open and running again, the last thing we should be doing is finding a way to send taxpayer dollars into politicians’ campaign coffers.”

H.R.1 is a partisan congressional overreach to nationalize elections. H.R.1 includes provisions to:

• create a 6:1 government match to any small donor contributions of $200 or less in a congressional or presidential campaign – meaning for every $200, the federal government will match $1,200 – and establish a new voucher program that grants eligible voters a $25 voucher to donate to any campaign of their choosing;

• nationalize elections and centralize administration in Washington, D.C. by impeding the states’ ability to determine their registration and voting practices, as protected under Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution, and mandating ethics standards for the Supreme Court, violating the separation of powers;

• alter the current bipartisan makeup of the six-member Federal Election Commission (FEC) to a partisan five-member commission and establishing a “Speech Czar”, limiting free speech and creating a partisan commission;

• increase vulnerability for foreign election interference by centralizing the election system;

• drastically limit free speech and impose vague standards that disadvantage all groups who wish to advocate on behalf of any legislative issue; and

• permit the IRS to investigate and consider the political and policy persuasions of organizations before granting tax-exempt status.