Rep. Lee Zeldin is pushing for signature verification in every state and blasted the practices of ballot-harvesting and mail-in balloting.
“Voter identification and signature verification should be enacted by every state legislature in the nation,” Zeldin wrote. “Ballot harvesting and widespread, no excuse mail in balloting should not. Everyone who thinks otherwise is telling you a lot about where they stand on ballot integrity.”
Voter identification and signature verification should be enacted by every state legislature in the nation. Ballot harvesting and widespread, no excuse mail in balloting should not. Everyone who thinks otherwise is telling you a lot about where they stand on ballot integrity.
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) January 24, 2021
Some states expanded the practice of mail-in balloting during the 2020 election amid the coronavirus pandemic, claiming too much in-person voting risked crowds gathering at polling locations and could lead to greater spread of the virus.
But the practice caused controversy, as many states also became more lenient in enforcing election laws, such as with deadlines. Pennsylvania, where the secretary of state changed the rules without the consent of the legislature, became perhaps the most controversial example, leading to multiple lawsuits both before and after the election.
The rule changes also resulted in accusations of fraud by then-President Donald Trump, leading to a large number of Republican voters saying they had doubts about the legitimacy of the results.
Some Republicans mounted an effort to object to the certification of the election results in order to force an investigation into the claims of fraud but were defeated in that effort after a mob of Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol and forced lawmakers to flee their chambers as they were debating certification.
Republicans have now turned their attention to election security in the future, with Sen. Rand Paul vowing to go to every state legislature to work toward passing stricter election integrity laws before the 2022 midterm election.
“That’s why I’ll spend the next two years going to every state legislature trying to fix the laws, protect our vote, and stop election fraud,” Paul said on Sunday.
