WASHINGTON - Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) hosted a roundtable discussion with members of Congress, state election officials, and key stakeholders yesterday on the American Confidence in Elections (ACE) Act.

Watch the full roundtable here.

In case you missed it, here are some of the highlights:

Ranking Member Davis: "Thanks to your engagement, we've been able to craft a bill that is reflective of feedback and the ideas from very large and diverse set of stakeholders, and that has a clear path to passing in the House of Representatives next Congress, when the Republicans take over the majority. So that brings us to today as we unveil our third and final phase... The ACE Act has three main pillars, and states at the very foundation of the bill. Additionally, we're providing states with corresponding model state ACE legislation to consider as we all work to improve election integrity."



Subcommittee on Elections Ranking Member Bryan Steil (R-WI): "I think it stands in incredibly sharp contrast to what the Democrats have done under H.R. 1. The Democrats, under H.R. 1, drafted a bill behind closed doors and weaken voter integrity provisions, as we noted, particularly with voter ID where they would gut voter ID. This bill was drafted, discussed in public. We're here presenting the bill. It enhances voter integrity provisions while respecting the United States Constitution."


Rep. Bryan Steil


Congressman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA): "The truth is that these state-level policies work. They make it easier to vote and harder to cheat. And by virtue of both, they ensure that every vote truly counts. I'm confident that this roundtable discussion will demonstrate that Republicans are ready to take bold and decisive actions to actually secure our elections and safeguard the integrity of every vote, at every level of government, and for everyone."

Ricky Hatch, Weber County, Utah Clerk Auditor, on federalism: "What works in Utah doesn't necessarily work in West Virginia. Because we've got different geographies, different population demographics, different political climate, different lifestyles, and that's how it should be... So the thing that I really liked about this bill was it takes a disciplined, measured approach to ensure that the states have that flexibility. It's not being forced down their throats. And as well within the counties, it's not being forced down our throats. So it gives us that flexibility while helping to establish some fundamental basic standards that are essential."


Ricky Hatch


Seth Grove, Pennsylvania State Representative, Chair of State Government Committee, on Zuckerbucks: "First, thank you [Claudia Tenney] for your leadership on Zuckerbucks. We were honored to pass a ban in Pennsylvania, just about two weeks ago... Great example, the city of Philadelphia had a $10 million election budget in 2020. They got $10 million in Zuckerbucks. They doubled their amount of allocations for that one election and we saw the direct responses where they showed those election officers and made get out the vote for for the Democratic Party. So shutting that down is a critical step."

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab on voter ID: "So what's important is voter ID. And I know this becomes contentious, but it should not be.. Voting is not against law. It's not. Someone voting who ain't you is. But if there's no cops watching the speed on the highway, then there's people breaking the law."


Ranking Member Davis with Secretaries of State Scott Schwab (Kansas), John Merrill (Alabama), Mac Warner (West Virginia)


Christina Norton, Republican National Lawyers Association, on empowering states with tools: "One of my favorite provisions of the bill is that it establishes a federal forum through the EAC to allow states to discuss best practices. I think it's extremely important to provide a platform where there can be an exchange of ideas across state lines, and to be able to share model legislation in one state to the next."



Christina Norton


Chris Anderson, Seminole County, Florida Supervisor of Elections on training: "Training is essential. And you will know that we establish something called the Florida certified election professional program that is 30 courses, 120 hours, where a day one employee, or an employee of 20 years can go and get training on specific Florida election laws, and they can earn a master certification. We've got 245 graduates and it's growing. That's one of the things that I did in my organization... I increased the training budget to make sure that my employees were the best trained... We're actually counting vote by mail ballots right now, as we speak, sit here in this room, we'll be ready at 7pm on election night to deliver those results."


Chris Anderson

Chris Winkelman, Holtzman Vogel, on campaign finance: "Not sure if everyone's aware, but the reality is that the majority of party committee paid advertisements, paid messaging, is done completely independent of candidates. Well, [the ACE Act] provides candidates the opportunity to have influence over the message of their own party. It allows the small dollar donors... the grassroots folks who actually give hard dollars, to the most transparent entities... So why not empower that entity to get up to par with the outside groups. rather than tearing down those outside groups who have a legitimate First Amendment right to speak in the process. So this is the best of both worlds... provides transparency to the voters straight for voters, and provides candidates the opportunity to have influence over their own party's message."

Matt Nese, People United for Privacy, on privacy protections: "The ACE Act takes a strong stand opposing that kind of effort, like we see in H.R. 1, and protects the privacy of nonprofit supporters. It defends the vital right of these nonprofit organizations to advocate for their missions. And that's really what democracy is founded on, that promotes the free exchange of ideas. And it's an incredibly crucial, important part of this bill."

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