GOP targets DC election laws.

House Oversight Committee to Hold Hearing on Election Laws in Washington, D.C.

The House Oversight Committee is set to hold a hearing next week focused on local election laws in Washington, D.C., marking the panel’s latest attempt to scrutinize the city’s affairs as part of its efforts to rein in its limited autonomy.

Republicans have announced the hearing, titled “American Confidence in Elections: The Path to Election Integrity in the District of Columbia,” which will examine election integrity in the district through the lens of measures laid out in the American Confidence in Elections Act. This bill, introduced in the last Congress, includes a provision to completely overhaul the city’s election laws.

Restoring Confidence in America’s Electoral Process

“Congress needs to get serious about election integrity and implement a comprehensive plan to restore confidence in America’s electoral process,” says Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY). “The American Confidence in Elections (ACE) Act is landmark legislation set to build voter confidence, equip states, protect Americans’ political speech, and ensure overdue election integrity measures for the District of Columbia.”

The ACE Act, originally introduced by Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), would implement a number of restrictions over how Washington officials administer their elections. These requirements would include presenting identification at polling places, adding restrictions on the use of ballot drop boxes, prohibiting same-day voter registration, and requiring voters to include a copy of their identification when applying for an absentee ballot.

The bill would also ban noncitizens from voting in local elections, which would overrule a law recently passed by the D.C. Council last year. The House previously voted to overturn that law, but the effort died in the Democratic-led Senate after the chamber declined to bring it up for a vote before the 30-day deadline on which the law would take effect.

Expanding Purview Over Washington’s Affairs

Under the Home Rule Act, Washington is permitted to operate as an independent city government. The only caveat is that all laws are subject to congressional approval before being enacted, occasionally setting up showdowns between Congress and local lawmakers.

Now it seems Republicans in Congress are expanding their purview over Washington’s affairs, moving away from crime and homing in on election integrity. The hearing, which is scheduled for Wednesday, will feature testimony from four witnesses to discuss the “critical improvements [the ACE] bill makes for the American people,” Comer said.

The witness list includes Ken Cuccinelli, chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative; Charles Spies, elections lawyer with Dickinson Wright; Monica Evans, executive director of the D.C. Board of Elections; and Wendy Weiser, vice president of democracy for the Brennan Center for Justice.

• Republicans are seeking to scrutinize local election laws in Washington, D.C.
• The hearing will examine election integrity in the district through the lens of measures laid out in the American Confidence in Elections Act.
• The ACE Act would implement a number of restrictions over how Washington officials administer their elections.
• The bill would also ban noncitizens from voting in local elections.
• The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday and will feature testimony from four witnesses.

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