At Joint Hearing, Democrats Push Back Against Republican Attempts to Suppress Voter Access to Elections in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. (June 7, 2023)—Today, Democratic Members of the Oversight and Accountability Committee and the Committee on House Administration pressed Congressional Republicans to cease their efforts to disenfranchise voters in Washington, D.C. during a joint hearing.

"Well, what do you know, more than a week has gone by so it must be time for another hearing designed to inflict insult and injury on 700,000 disenfranchised Americans living in Washington, D.C. Not only do our GOP colleagues want to block the statehood drive of our fellow Americans from Washington and permanently deny them voting representation in the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. Not only do they want to roll back home rule, micromanage the legislation of the D.C. Council, and blame D.C. leaders for the problems caused by their second-class political status," said Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, in his opening statement. "Now they want to lecture them about democratic elections and voting rights while making it far more difficult for D.C. residents to register and to vote in the elections they do have for the few offices open to them, like D.C. Council, school board, and Mayor."

"It concerns me, because it appears my Republican colleagues refuse to believe the overwhelming conclusion reached by nonpartisan experts, by multiple presidential administrations—including the Department of Justice under former President Trump—and by scores of witnesses under oath in front of congressional committees and grand juries—our elections are secure. Instead, the majority has taken us deeper down a rabbit hole, desperately seeking some justification for their unpopular policies that would restrict access to the ballot," said Rep. Joe Morelle, Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, in his opening statement.

The hearing included testimony from Ken Cuccinelli, Chairman, Election Transparency Initiative; Charles Spies, Member, Dickinson Wright, PLLC; Monica H. Evans, Executive Director, District of Columbia Board of Elections; and Wendy Weiser, Vice President for Democracy, Brennan Center for Justice.

Congressional Democrats and their witness described how the elections in Washington, D.C. are not only secure, but some of the most accessible in the United States, allowing easy voter registration and expansive access to the ballot.

• In response to a question from Rep. Gerry Connolly, Ms. Monica Evans said people in D.C. and across the nation should be confident in the District's election security. "There are several safeguards in place," Ms. Evans said. "The bigger problem is suppression of voting, barriers to voting," Mr. Connolly said. "Why not make it easier so 100% of Americans participate in their presidential elections?" He noted that Republicans are pushing voter suppression tactics, saying, "They're doing all of this, not because they're worried about process and integrity, they're worried about outcomes and that's what this is all about. And so, when you can't win elections, try to select who gets to vote. It's an old practice and a reprehensible one."

• Rep. Summer Lee pointed out that D.C. has not had a single reported instance of voter fraud, noting that even the conservative Heritage Foundation voter fraud database lists zero cases of voter fraud in D.C. since 1979.

• In response to Rep. Robert Garcia's question regarding voter fraud, Ms. Weiser said, "An American is more likely to be struck by lightning than to commit in-person voter fraud according to multiple studies over decades." Mr. Garcia continued: "If voter ID laws don't actually work or solve any problems, their impact is really about making it harder for Americans to vote, and so we should be clear, voter ID requirements disproportionately affect non-white voters. That is clear and that has been studied."

• In response to a question from Rep. Maxwell Frost, Ms. Weiser said, "There is no legitimate reason to believe that there is any significant voter fraud in American elections. There are some threats to election integrity that Congress should address but they are not voter fraud." She continued: "An election with integrity is indeed an election where every eligible American can cast a ballot. It is an election that has protections against efforts to sabotage and interfere with election outcomes and interfere in election administration. It is an election free of violence and intimidation and an election with adequate security protections against cyber security threats."

• Rep. Norma Torres, highlighting Washington, D.C.'s secure and accessible elections, asked Ms. Evans to discuss policies the District has in place to improve voter access by cutting through disinformation. Evans discussed D.C.'s voter education and outreach. "We have a very robust division at D.C. Board of Elections, and we make information available in several different formats. We use print media, we use television, radio. We attempt to address the digital divide by sending material to residents in the District of Columbia. In addition, to that we hold roundtables and town halls to receive feedback."

Congressional Democrats and their witness described how the ACE Act would restrict the freedom to vote for people in Washington, D.C. by rolling back or eliminating options that people use to vote.

• Following a question from Ranking Member Raskin, Ms. Weiser noted that the Republicans' ACE Act does not actually address any of the critical threats to American democracy and our elections. Ms. Weiser pointed out that Congressional Republicans were focused on rolling back voting rights solely in the District of Columbia rather than providing resources to ensure the security of our elections and stopping the spread of election denialism and preventing a second attempted coup like January 6, 2021.

• Responding to Ranking Member Morelle's question about whether the ACE Act supports election workers, Ms. Weiser told the committee that 1 in 3 election workers have been threatened harassed or abused for doing their jobs. She said, "The ACE Act doesn't at all address the safety concerns of election officials. To the contrary it has some provisions that increase risks to election officials."

• Rep. Terri Sewell, Ranking Member of the House Administration Election Subcommittee, discussed the number of polices that Washington, D.C. has instituted to protect voter access and explained that the District is a model and an example of the implementation of pro voter policies for the entire nation. Rep. Sewell noted that the Republican proposal would "further disenfranchise D.C. voters by removing proactive voter policies that make their elections some of the most accessible elections in this nation."

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stated that the ACE Act would eliminate same day registration, which has been in use in the district for longer than a decade. In her written testimony, Ms. Weiser noted that the elimination of same-day voter registration – after 10 years of successful use – serves no valid purpose. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez also pointed out that the ACE Act would eliminate the ability for D.C. voters to cast their ballots by mail. "There are eight other states that have this policy in place, some for decades. This has also been shown to be fraud-free and provide voters with reasonable options and convenience in voting and it has led to both greater voter turnout and more secure elections," Ms. Weiser said.

• Rep. Cori Bush pointed out, "When Republicans talk about election integrity, they're really talking about voter suppression. They're talking about carrying on the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow, by actively disenfranchising Black and Brown communities through legislation like the American Confidence in Elections Act to undermine voter access and fair and impartial election administration. "And they're talking about maintaining anti-democratic control over D.C. which has had a significant Black population since its creation."

Congressional Democrats and their witness outlined how Washington, D.C. has a right to political self-determination and deserves statehood, and House Republicans meddling in its election policy is a political choice.

• Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton emphasized the importance of statehood for D.C. Congresswoman Norton also noted that 86% of D.C. residents voted in support of statehood. "I urge my colleagues to pass the D.C. Statehood and to keep their hands off D.C.," she said.

• Rep. Shontel Brown noted that Republicans have consistently chosen to focus on local D.C. matters rather than problems facing the entire nation such as the high cost of healthcare, addressing gun violence, or protections for reproductive rights and members of the LGBTQ+ community. "However, if the majority is choosing to focus on elections in D.C., I would be remiss not to bring up the voting rights of D.C. residents. The 700,000 residents of the District of Columbia lack the political representation given to Americans in all 50 states. So, let's not beat around the bush, the failure to grant D.C. statehood is disenfranchisement of local communities, many of which are Black and Brown."

• While questioning Ms. Weiser, Rep. Sewell affirmed that residents of the District should have the same rights of residents in the rest of the country, but that "the ACE Act would restrict voter access to D.C.'s hundreds of thousands of voters, none of whom have voting representation in this body Congress."

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