The Committee on House Administration held a hearing on Sept. 11, probing American Confidence in Elections. Some Americans in recent years have said they’re losing trust in the election system. That’s after stories came out of dead people and non-citizens on voter rolls, among other things.
Americans confidence in the election were just 55 days away from this year's presidential election.
Congress today taking a closer look at election integrity across the country.
The purpose of the hearing is to fully review and explore the status of state's election
preparedness. The Committee on House Administration held a hearing on Wednesday probing American
confidence in elections. Some Americans in recent years have said they're losing trust
in the election system. That's after stories came out of dead people and non-citizens on voter rolls,
among other things. One major talking point is having to show photo IDs to vote.
You don't believe that having an individual show their photo ID saying they are who they
say they are increases confidence in our elections? Mr. Rankin, or Mr. Chairman,
you asked me a yes or no question. I don't think that's a magic bullet.
I'm not asking if it's a magic bullet. I'll come to you, Secretary Lewis. Do you think
photo ID increases Americans confidence in our elections?
A hundred percent, Mr. Chairman, and it's vastly popular among both Republicans and Democrats.
Because it makes total sense, right, that you should go in and show your photo. If you board
an airplane, you've got to show your photo ID. You want to buy a six-pack of beer, you've got
to show a photo ID. Some Democrats criticize that this would make it harder for minorities,
such as Black Americans, to vote. Another issue is mail-in ballots. Some Republicans
say they're worried mail-in ballots are being sent to the wrong addresses.
How do you ensure mail-in ballots are actually going to voters at their correct mailing address,
and how do you ensure that the signatures match those that you have on file?
Mr. Chair, Mr. Loudermilk, as to the address verification system that we employ in Arizona,
which has been in place for a very, very long time, continuously updated. We use the National
Change of Address database by the United States Postal Service. We use a first and second notice
system to our county registrars. Democrats at Wednesday's hearing,
meanwhile, mostly focused on other issues, such as an increase in threats against election workers,
as the ranking member pointed out. One secretary of state tracked a 600% increase in threats this
year alone. Some say this increase is being spurred by false claims about election interference.
Another problem, Democrats say, is misinformation regarding elections.
In Michigan, as Secretary Benson knows all too well, a Republican candidate for Congress
used an AI-generated audio of Martin Luther King, Jr., purporting to endorse him in a political
campaign. He added that AI is often being used to spread false information,
aimed at aiding a particular political party.
