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H.R. 1: Myths vs. Facts

MYTH: Democrats are empowering citizens.
FACT: Democrats are using citizens' taxpayer dollars to fund their candidates.

• Voucher from the Government to the Campaign: Through this bill, eligible voters would receive a $25 voucher from the federal government that they can use to donate to the campaign of their choosing, meaning hard-earned taxpayer dollars are now going straight into an unofficial source with no oversight.
• Government Matching Campaign Donations in Congressional Races: Under H.R. 1, the federal government will be required to match small contributions under $200 at a 6:1 ratio, meaning for every $200, the federal government will match $1,200.
• Government Matching Campaign Donations in Presidential Races: Also, under H.R. 1, there is a 6:1 government match of small contributions to a presidential candidate up to $250 million. A quarter of a billion taxpayer dollars would be going toward a presidential campaign.

MYTH: Democrats are promoting integrity.
FACT: Democrats are promoting the interests of Washington, D.C. swamp, not yours.

• Federal Paid Vacation: Authorizes an inappropriate use of federal workers and taxpayer dollars by granting federal employees six days of paid vacation to serve as poll watchers.
• 16-Year-Old Voters: H.R. 1 will open the door to 16-year-old voters by requiring states to allow them to register to vote.
• Free Speech Violation: Prohibits any false statements relating to federal elections including time, manner, place, qualifications of candidates or endorsement of candidates.

MYTH: Democrats are increasing access to voting.
FACT: Democrats are creating vulnerabilities in the voting system.

• Automatic Voter Registration: H.R. 1 requires all states to adopt an automatic voter registration system that would be relying on the federal government for records. There would be no criminal punishment for an ineligible voter who is registered in error.
• Online Voter Registration: Requires states to maintain online voter registration with no safeguards. Providing a signature is the only process for voter identification, and the signature can be submitted online by a picture with no outside authorization.
• Same-Day Registration: It requires states to permit same-day registration and voting for federal elections in early voting and on election day. Again, there are no safeguards in place for this same-day registration process.
• Fraudulent Registration: There are no criminal punishments for anyone who falsely registers to vote.

MYTH: Democrats are ensuring security.
FACT: Democrats are creating a false sense of security.

• Republicans want to focus on securing our nation's election system in partnership with states.
• Establishing a Noneffective Government Bureaucracy: Instead, Congress would spend millions of taxpayer dollars in grant money toward creating ineffective commissions.
• Creating One Contact: The more we federalize elections, the more we are creating one central point of contact to disrupt elections.

MYTH: Democrats are guaranteeing disclosure.
FACT: Democrats are guaranteeing disclosure that suits their own interest.

• DC-Style Disclosure: Democrats are continuing to push for targeted disclosure based on the recent statistics of donations to the Republican party vs. exposing all dark money in political campaigns.
• Small Donor Contributions: There is no disclosure of small donor contributions, though these have been reported as the largest and most common amount of donations aggregating in large sums of out of district money.

MYTH: Democrats are strengthening oversight.
FACT: Democrats are expanding federal bureaucracy.

• Expanding Federal Agency Role: Under H.R. 1, Democrats would be expanding the role of several federal agencies in state elections, including DOJ and DHS.
• Expanding Trial Lawyer Role: Through this legislation, trial attorneys would gain larger access to federal courts through private rights of actions.
• The increased oversight of H.R. 1 is simply an excuse to take power away from the states and create a larger reach for the federal government.

Top 10 Most Egregious Provisions of H.R. 1

1. Creates a 6:1 government match to any small donor contributions of $200 or less in a congressional or presidential campaign, meaning for every $200, the federal government will match $1,200.

2. Creates a new voucher pilot program that grants eligible voters a $25 voucher of hard-earned taxpayer dollars to donate to any campaign of their choosing.

3. Weaponizes the Federal Election Commission by altering the current bipartisan makeup of a six-member commission to a partisan five-member commission which will limit free speech and make partisan decisions about election communications.

4. Weakens the voting system of the American people by increasing the election system’s vulnerability and failing to implement the necessary checks and balances regarding who is registering to vote. H.R. 1 will force states to allow online voter registration, automatic voter registration, and same-day voter registration with no safeguards.

5. Raises constitutional concerns under the First Amendment by proposing to limit free speech and imposing vague standards that disadvantage all groups who wish to advocate on behalf of any legislative issue.

6. Diminishes the process of Election Day voting by expanding “no excuse” absentee voting and allowing for any eligible voter to be able to cast their ballot by mail with no additional safeguards to this process.

7. Disregards state voter identification laws by allowing sworn statements to be used in place of identification and allowing for signature verification, which can be submitted through a photo if the voter registers online.

8. Does not provide states adequate enforcement mechanisms to guard against fraud.

9. Impedes states’ ability to determine their registration and voting practices, as protected under Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution and violates separation of powers by Congress mandating ethics standards for the Supreme Court. H.R. 1 is a constitutional overreach.

10. Forces states to count provisional ballots cast outside of the voter's correct precinct which will inevitably result in the election of candidates at the state and local level by non-qualified residents.