Good news, John – Congress is on the verge of passing legislation to stop something like January 6th from ever happening again.
Because of the dedicated advocacy of Common Cause members like you, a bipartisan House and Senate coalition has finally united behind a plan to close the legal loopholes that former President Trump exploited in his desperate, failed attempt to seize a second term in office that he did not win.
But with just days to go until the end of the 117th Congress, we can’t let this opportunity slip away. Can you add your name to urge members of Congress to not leave town until they fix the Electoral Count Act?
Here’s why it is so important: as you know, after the 2020 election, Donald Trump and his co-conspirators brazenly tried to override the will of the people who voted him out of office.
And in order to do it, Trump’s lawyers weaponized the vague, confusing language in the 1887 Electoral Count Act. Trump seized on ambiguous language in the law to push the false claim that Vice President Pence had the power to change the election’s outcome.
Passing the Electoral Count Reform Act would ensure Trump couldn’t try this scheme again. Reforming this antiquated law would…
- Reinforce that the Vice President’s role is ceremonial (to prevent the overturning of election results);
- Require at least 20% of the House and Senate to object to a state’s electoral votes before forcing a debate, rather than the current requirement of one Senator and one Representative; and
- Guarantee expedited judicial review, ensuring federal courts will quickly hear disputed cases.
Trump has already declared his candidacy for a 2024 White House run – and even recently called for the termination of the United States Constitution in order to overturn the 2020 election and declare himself President.
Congress must take action – and act swiftly to close any loopholes Trump and his associates tried to exploit during the January 6 certification before he tries to do something similar next time.
If you agree, please add your name in support of making sure another January 6th can’t happen again >>
Closing these loopholes is an important first step – but in order to fully ensure that all Americans can have a voice in our democracy, Congress must also pass legislation to protect the freedom to vote for every American, including ending racially discriminatory voting practices and setting fair national standards.
With your continued support, I know we can keep moving our democracy forward.
Thanks for all you do,
Aaron Scherb, Senior Director of Legislative Affairs
and the team at Common Cause
P.S. If you want to learn more about our fights to protect our democracy, including support for the Electoral Count Reform Act,
join our webinar next Tuesday, December 20th at 8 pm EST!
