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Washington, DC - Congressman Steven Palazzo (MS-4) voted against a legislative proposal, the "For the Politicians Act," pushed by House Democrats that would force a federal takeover of elections and use taxpayer dollars to fund political campaigns.  The proposal would strip state and local governments of their power to manage elections within the state.

"This bill is nothing more than a power grab attempt by Democrats to federalize elections and strip states of their power to manage elections. Not only does it use taxpayer dollars to fund political campaigns, but it also diminishes the First Amendment and is designed to keep liberals in power.

"At a time when millions of Americans lack confidence in our election process, it is abundantly clear that this legislation is anything but a bill 'for the people' and does not protect the integrity of our elections. We must look at ways to restore trust and confidence in our voting process, H.R. 1 is not the solution."

Top ten most egregious provisions of H.R. 1:

1. Publicly funds campaigns with federal fines on corporations
2. Federalizes elections and centralizes administration in Washington, DC
3. Ensures "pandemic-style" changes become permanent
4. Forces states to expand mail-in voting, legalize ballot harvesting, and disregard voter ID laws
5. Weaponizes the Federal Election Commission
6. Increases vulnerability for foreign election interference by centralizing the election system
7. Diminishes the First Amendment by requiring groups to disclose the name of donors who give above a certain threshold
8. Disregards state voter I.D. laws and provisional ballot rules
9. Removes states' ability to decided how their districts are drawn
10. Weaponizes the Internal Revenue Service by permitting the agency to investigate political and policy persuasions of organizations before granting tax-exempt status

As a counter to this nationalization of elections, Palazzo has cosponsored the Save Democracy Act, which would work to restore public trust in U.S. federal elections by prohibiting and reforming existing practices that weaken security, oversight, and administration of elections for federal office.

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