Senator’s legislative package safeguarding America’s elections was included in the annual bipartisan government budget legislation
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s bipartisan legislation strengthening America’s electoral procedures to safeguard the peaceful transition of power and ensure the integrity of America’s elections passed the U.S. Senate in the annual bipartisan government budget legislation.
This legislation negotiated and championed by Sinema would help prevent an insurrection like the one on January 6, 2021 from happening again – ensuring the peaceful transfer of power regardless of which party wins the election.
“Passage of our legislation safeguarding America’s elections demonstrates how we all – regardless of party or political affiliation – can come together to protect our shared values. I’m proud to help lead this effort to protect America’s democracy,” said Sinema.
Sinema’s legislation, the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act, makes the following specific reforms:
- Modernizes the 1887 Electoral Count Act to ensure that electoral votes tallied by Congress accurately reflect each state’s public vote for President;
- Replaces ambiguous provisions of the law with clear procedures that maintain appropriate state and federal roles in selecting the President and Vice President of the United States as set forth in the U.S. Constitution;
- Ensures that Congress can identify a single, conclusive slate of electors from each state;
- Affirmatively states that the role of the Vice President in the joint session of Congress is solely ministerial; and
- Increases the threshold needed to lodge an objection to electors from one Senator and one Representative to one-fifth of the duly chosen and sworn members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
In addition to reforms to the Electoral Count Act, the bill helps to promote the orderly transfer of power by providing clear guidelines for when eligible candidates for President or Vice President may receive federal resources to support their transition into office; allows an eligible candidate, during the limited time period in which the outcome of a presidential election is reasonably in dispute to receive transition resources, removing the need for the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration to ascertain the apparent winner during this time.