GOP showcases states with added voter ID laws as model for country – JP

Eight GOP senators and 147 members of the House — including House Administration members Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma, Morgan Griffith of Virginia and Greg Murphy of North Carolina — voted to overturn the 2020 election results on Jan. 6, 2021, hours after a pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol.

Voter fraud is exceedingly rare in American elections, according to official inquiries. A commission convened by Trump after he made election fraud claims in 2016 disbanded without uncovering sufficient evidence. And the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, maintains a voter fraud database that lists just 63 cases decided in 2022, though the think tank notes its list is not exhaustive.

Steil, in his opening remarks Friday, said the subcommittee had “opportunity here to find some real common ground.” But while Republicans focused on election integrity, Democrats instead turned to debunking voter fraud myths and addressing discriminatory laws.

“After the last two years [of] baseless claims of fraud and repeated attacks on our democracy it is important to recognize the 2022 election was secure and applaud the country’s election officials for their hard work,” said Rep. Joseph D. Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee.

Rep. Terri A. Sewell, D-Ala., who is ranking member on the Subcommittee on Elections, noted a series of legal attacks on the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a seminal piece of civil rights legislation that prohibited racial discrimination in voting.