Committee on House Administration (CHA) Republicans released a statement following Committee Member, Representative Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) participating in a Field Hearing held by Subcommittee on Elections Chairwoman Marcia Fudge (OH-11) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida today on Monday, May 6, 2019.

"During the Voting Rights Act (VRA) field hearing today, I observed that many of the issues from Broward County's midterm elections were preventable errors caused by poor planning and improper implementation of the state's election laws by the previous county election supervisor. I am pleased to see that the state of Florida has already taken many steps to prevent these issues from occurring in the future, and I support their efforts to promote integrity and accessibility in elections to come," said Loudermilk. "I congratulate the people of Florida for creating historic voter turnout in the 2018 midterm election."

While testifying before the subcommittee, Logan Churchwell, with Public Interest Legal Foundation said, "Because of the Voting Rights Act, it has never been easier to register to vote and vote as it is in America in 2019."

"As I've said since becoming Ranking Member of the Committee with oversight of federal elections, the greatest threat to our election system is partisanship. We have learned from these VRA field hearings, which are being held by the majority to find evidence of voter discrimination, that voter turnout is high and it's never been easier to vote in our country. I hope that our colleagues across the aisle will work with us to create and implement legislation that assists states to continue this increase of voter turnout without taking away their power to manage their own election systems," said Ranking Member Rodney Davis (IL-13).

You can watch the Subcommittee Field Hearing by CLICKING HERE.

ICYMI - Check out this article from the Wall Street Journal's Editorial Board: The Voter Suppression Myth.

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. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA), the focus of these field hearings, currently remains under the jurisdiction of the House Judiciary Committee.

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).

Congressional Members who attended the Subcommittee field hearing are: Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11), Representative Ted Deutch (D-FL-22), Representative Alcee Hastings (D-FL-20), and Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23).

Witnesses who testified before the Subcommittee are: Andrew Gillum, Chair, Forward Florida; Juan Cartagena, President and General Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDEF; Marleine Bastien, Founder and Executive Director, Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami, Inc. (FANM)/Haitian Women of Miami); Karen Wilkerson, League of Women Voters of Voters of Florida; Judith Browne Dianis, Executive Director, Advancement Project; Logan Churchwell, Public Interest Legal Foundation; Nancy Batista, Florida State Director, Mi Familia Vota; Anjeys Gonzalez-Eilert, Executive Director, Common Cause Florida.

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