Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) (left) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) (right) talk during a June 13, 2022 session of the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Sep 21, 2022
House Democrats on Wednesday took aim at the overwhelming majority of their Republican colleagues in the lower chamber who voted against proposed legislation that aims to prevent another attempt to use Congress to subvert presidential elections.
"It comes as no surprise that only nine Republicans voted to ensure the integrity of the electoral vote count."
The Presidential Election Reform Act, written by Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), seeks to prevent presidents from manipulating the Electoral Count Act like former President Donald Trump attempted to do as part of his effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and prevent the peaceful transfer of power to President Joe Biden.
The measure passed by a vote of 229-203, with every House Democrat present voting in favor. Only nine House Republicans joined them. All nine are leaving Congress after this term, either because they lost primary challenges or are retiring.
In addition to Cheney, they are Reps. Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Jamie Herrera Beutler (Wash.), Chris Jacobs (N.Y.), John Katko (N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Peter Meijer (Mich.), Tom Rice (S.C.), and Fred Upton (Mich.).
\u201cIt comes as no surprise that only 9 Republicans voted to ensure the integrity of the electoral vote count. After all, this is who we\u2019re dealing with: 147 had no intention of certifying Biden; they want all options open in the future.\u201d— Hal Corley (@Hal Corley) 1663797405
"To all those who oppose this legislation, I ask you, how could anyone vote against free and fair elections--the cornerstone of our constitution?" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)--who leads a party that has repeatedly fought to keep more progressive challengers off ballots and out of debates across the country--said Wednesday on the House floor.
"How could anyone vote against our founders' vision: placing power in the hands of the people?" she added. "How could anyone vote against their own constituents, allowing radical politicians to rip away their say in our democracy?"
In a swipe at Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) tweeted that the newly passed bill "eliminates loopholes insurrectionists tried to exploit on January 6th--even for those who only spent 'a couple seconds' trying to overthrow democracy."
\u201cThe House just passed the Presidential Election Reform Act which eliminates loopholes insurrectionists tried to exploit on January 6th \u2014 even for those who only spent \u201ca couple seconds\u201d trying to overthrow democracy.\u201d— Rep. Mark Pocan (@Rep. Mark Pocan) 1663794134
Speaking of his 203 GOP colleagues who voted against the bill, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), chair of the House Rules Committee, told Politico that "the idea that they're siding with insurrectionists, they're siding with people who are trying to undermine our democracy is really disgusting."
Politico reports that some House Republicans could be open to supporting a Senate version of the legislation introduced in July by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), which might include provisions of the lower chamber's bill.
Manchin's office said Wednesday that his bill has 10 Republican co-sponsors--enough GOP votes for filibuster-free passage.
This post has been updated to clarify that Rep. Mark Pocan's tweet was directed at Sen. Ron Johnson.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
republican partypoliticsmark pocanjoe bidennancy pelosius houseelection 2020democracyjoe manchintrumpismliz cheneyjan 6 insurrectionus senate
House Democrats on Wednesday took aim at the overwhelming majority of their Republican colleagues in the lower chamber who voted against proposed legislation that aims to prevent another attempt to use Congress to subvert presidential elections.
"It comes as no surprise that only nine Republicans voted to ensure the integrity of the electoral vote count."
The Presidential Election Reform Act, written by Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), seeks to prevent presidents from manipulating the Electoral Count Act like former President Donald Trump attempted to do as part of his effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and prevent the peaceful transfer of power to President Joe Biden.
The measure passed by a vote of 229-203, with every House Democrat present voting in favor. Only nine House Republicans joined them. All nine are leaving Congress after this term, either because they lost primary challenges or are retiring.
In addition to Cheney, they are Reps. Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Jamie Herrera Beutler (Wash.), Chris Jacobs (N.Y.), John Katko (N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Peter Meijer (Mich.), Tom Rice (S.C.), and Fred Upton (Mich.).
\u201cIt comes as no surprise that only 9 Republicans voted to ensure the integrity of the electoral vote count. After all, this is who we\u2019re dealing with: 147 had no intention of certifying Biden; they want all options open in the future.\u201d— Hal Corley (@Hal Corley) 1663797405
"To all those who oppose this legislation, I ask you, how could anyone vote against free and fair elections--the cornerstone of our constitution?" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)--who leads a party that has repeatedly fought to keep more progressive challengers off ballots and out of debates across the country--said Wednesday on the House floor.
"How could anyone vote against our founders' vision: placing power in the hands of the people?" she added. "How could anyone vote against their own constituents, allowing radical politicians to rip away their say in our democracy?"
In a swipe at Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) tweeted that the newly passed bill "eliminates loopholes insurrectionists tried to exploit on January 6th--even for those who only spent 'a couple seconds' trying to overthrow democracy."
\u201cThe House just passed the Presidential Election Reform Act which eliminates loopholes insurrectionists tried to exploit on January 6th \u2014 even for those who only spent \u201ca couple seconds\u201d trying to overthrow democracy.\u201d— Rep. Mark Pocan (@Rep. Mark Pocan) 1663794134
Speaking of his 203 GOP colleagues who voted against the bill, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), chair of the House Rules Committee, told Politico that "the idea that they're siding with insurrectionists, they're siding with people who are trying to undermine our democracy is really disgusting."
Politico reports that some House Republicans could be open to supporting a Senate version of the legislation introduced in July by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), which might include provisions of the lower chamber's bill.
Manchin's office said Wednesday that his bill has 10 Republican co-sponsors--enough GOP votes for filibuster-free passage.
This post has been updated to clarify that Rep. Mark Pocan's tweet was directed at Sen. Ron Johnson.
House Democrats on Wednesday took aim at the overwhelming majority of their Republican colleagues in the lower chamber who voted against proposed legislation that aims to prevent another attempt to use Congress to subvert presidential elections.
"It comes as no surprise that only nine Republicans voted to ensure the integrity of the electoral vote count."
The Presidential Election Reform Act, written by Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), seeks to prevent presidents from manipulating the Electoral Count Act like former President Donald Trump attempted to do as part of his effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and prevent the peaceful transfer of power to President Joe Biden.
The measure passed by a vote of 229-203, with every House Democrat present voting in favor. Only nine House Republicans joined them. All nine are leaving Congress after this term, either because they lost primary challenges or are retiring.
In addition to Cheney, they are Reps. Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), Jamie Herrera Beutler (Wash.), Chris Jacobs (N.Y.), John Katko (N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Peter Meijer (Mich.), Tom Rice (S.C.), and Fred Upton (Mich.).
\u201cIt comes as no surprise that only 9 Republicans voted to ensure the integrity of the electoral vote count. After all, this is who we\u2019re dealing with: 147 had no intention of certifying Biden; they want all options open in the future.\u201d— Hal Corley (@Hal Corley) 1663797405
"To all those who oppose this legislation, I ask you, how could anyone vote against free and fair elections--the cornerstone of our constitution?" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)--who leads a party that has repeatedly fought to keep more progressive challengers off ballots and out of debates across the country--said Wednesday on the House floor.
"How could anyone vote against our founders' vision: placing power in the hands of the people?" she added. "How could anyone vote against their own constituents, allowing radical politicians to rip away their say in our democracy?"
In a swipe at Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) tweeted that the newly passed bill "eliminates loopholes insurrectionists tried to exploit on January 6th--even for those who only spent 'a couple seconds' trying to overthrow democracy."
\u201cThe House just passed the Presidential Election Reform Act which eliminates loopholes insurrectionists tried to exploit on January 6th \u2014 even for those who only spent \u201ca couple seconds\u201d trying to overthrow democracy.\u201d— Rep. Mark Pocan (@Rep. Mark Pocan) 1663794134
Speaking of his 203 GOP colleagues who voted against the bill, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), chair of the House Rules Committee, told Politico that "the idea that they're siding with insurrectionists, they're siding with people who are trying to undermine our democracy is really disgusting."
Politico reports that some House Republicans could be open to supporting a Senate version of the legislation introduced in July by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), which might include provisions of the lower chamber's bill.
Manchin's office said Wednesday that his bill has 10 Republican co-sponsors--enough GOP votes for filibuster-free passage.
This post has been updated to clarify that Rep. Mark Pocan's tweet was directed at Sen. Ron Johnson.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.