Collins, Manchin Announce 22 Senators Now Co-Sponsoring Bipartisan Reforms to Electoral Count Act of 1887
Washington, D.C.— With the addition of Senators Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) this morning, 22 Senators are now co-sponsoring the Senate’s legislation to reform and modernize the outdated Electoral Count Act of 1887. The bipartisan Senate bill, led by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), will receive a markup and be voted on by the Senate Rules Committee next Tuesday September 27th.
“We are delighted that bipartisan support continues to grow for the Senate’s sensible and much-needed reforms to the Electoral Count Act of 1887,” said Senators Collins and Manchin. “Our bill is backed by election law experts and organizations across the ideological spectrum. We will keep working to increase bipartisan support for our legislation that would correct the flaws in this archaic and ambiguous law.”
In addition to Senators Collins, Manchin, the senators 22 Senators co-sponsoring the bill include: Rob Portman (R-OH), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark Warner (D-VA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Todd Young (R-IN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Pat Toomey (R-PA), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH).
On August 3rd, at the invitation Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Roy Blunt (R-MO)—the Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Rules Committee—Senators Collins and Manchin provided remarks before the Committee in support of their legislation. On September 14, Congressmen Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and Fred Upton (MI-6) introduced the House companion to the Senate legislation. Senators Collins and Manchin first introduced the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act on July 20th.
The bill includes the following provisions:
1) Electoral Count Reform Act. This section would reform and modernize the outdated Electoral Count Act of 1887 to ensure that electoral votes tallied by Congress accurately reflect each state’s vote for President. It would replace ambiguous provisions of the 19th-century law with clear procedures that maintain appropriate state and federal roles in selecting the President and Vice President of the United States as set forth in the U.S. Constitution. Click HERE for a one-pager on the Electoral Count Act reform section.
2) Presidential Transition Improvement Act. This section would help to promote the orderly transfer of power by providing clear guidelines for when eligible candidates for President or Vice President may receive federal resources to support their transition into office. Click HERE for a one-pager on the presidential transition section.
Click HERE for the text of the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act.
