House Republicans Unveil Most Restrictive Elections Bill in Decades
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, July 10, House Republicans unveiled the American Confidence in Elections (ACE) Act, a sweeping “election integrity” bill, which would recommend policy changes nationwide and overhaul elections in Washington, D.C.
Dubbed by House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) as “the most conservative election integrity bill to be seriously considered in the House in over 20 years,” the ACE Act, which includes almost 50 standalone bills, is focused on multiple Republican priorities, such as tightening election rules, encouraging voter purges and loosening campaign finance regulations.
Key aspects include banning private funding of election administration, repealing President Joe Biden’s executive order that encourages federal agencies to promote voter registration, penalizing states that allow noncitizens to vote in local elections and implementing stricter voter ID and mail-in voting laws. For instance, the bill would require all first-time voters who register using any method other than in-person at an elections office to present an ID.
While the ACE Act largely offers recommendations for states to adopt, it would enact sweeping changes to election policy in Washington, D.C. as part of Congress’ authority over the nation’s capital. The changes to Washington, D.C. elections are intended to become a model for other states to emulate. The bill would:
- Require a photo ID to vote, both in-person and by mail,
- Ban same-day voter registration and require annual list maintenance cleanup,
- Prohibit community ballot collection and restrict drop boxes,
- Bar universal mail-in voting,
- Mandate signature verification for all mail-in ballots,
- Direct the district to only count mail-in ballots that are received before the polls close on Election Day and
- Require audits after every election.