WASHINGTON – Committee on House Administration (CHA) Ranking Member Rodney Davis (IL-13) will be attending a Field Hearing held by Subcommittee on Elections Chairwoman Marcia Fudge (OH-11) in Fort Yates, North Dakota on Tuesday, April 16, 2019.

“Throughout its existence, the Committee has worked across the aisle to create significant and necessary election policy that has widely impacted this nation, including legislation to eliminate the poll tax, legislation to create easier access to members of the military and their families when voting overseas, and the Help America Vote Act of 2002. I’ve been told by Chairwoman Fudge that the current intention of the Subcommittee on Elections is to investigate voting rights issues in order to update the Voting Rights Act,” said Ranking Member Davis.

“The Voting Rights Act has primarily remained under the jurisdiction of the House Judiciary Committee. Our committee, however, has an obligation to review and conduct oversight on how elections are administered, which I hope we’re able to learn more about during this field hearing.” Davis said, “Voting is a fundamental right to American citizens, and ensuring such right is a responsibility I take seriously as Ranking Member of CHA. I hope we can come together to review these issues thoughtfully and work in a bipartisan manner, as our committee has historically done.”

Background:

The Committee on House Administration (CHA) has two principal functions, oversight of day-to-day operations in the House and oversight of federal elections. Historically, the committee has had a hand in shaping legislation that touches on any and all aspects of federal elections.

Issues concerning corrupt practices, contested congressional elections, campaign finance disclosures, and credentials and qualifications of House Members also fall under its purview. Most recently, the committee played a pivotal role in the development and passage of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, which allocated more than $3 billion to improve voting equipment, train election workers, and reform election law.

The Subcommittee on Elections has not always been a formal part of CHA but was recently reinstated in the House with four Members: Chairwoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH-11), Representative G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-1), Representative Pete Aguilar (D-CA-31), and Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL-13).

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