Attorney General Ken Paxton today led a 16-state coalition that sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, warning that certain provisions in the proposed Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES Act) interfere with state elections by transforming them in a way that benefits vote harvesters and can lead to massive disenfranchisement of lawful, qualified voters. The HEROES Act, if passed, would invade states’ ability to set their own election laws and dramatically undermine election integrity.
“As federal and state legislators of both parties have correctly observed for decades, mail-in ballots are particularly vulnerable to fraud and protections against that risk are necessary. In contrast, the HEROES Act effectively bulldozes state election laws that were specifically designed to reduce and ultimately eliminate voter fraud,” said Attorney General Paxton. “State election officials have many options available to safely and securely hold elections without risking widespread mail-ballot fraud. The federal government should leave these decisions to states.”
The American Coronavirus/COVID-19 Election Safety and Security Act (ACCESS Act), which is buried within the HEROES Act, requires states to provide mail-in ballots for all registered voters, allows individuals to apply for a ballot online, and allows voters to register to vote as late as election day itself. The Act also unlawfully prohibits states from requiring identification, notarization, or witness signatures as conditions of providing an absentee ballot to a voter and creates an overly-elaborate process for states to reject an unlawful or illegitimate mail-in ballot.
Texas was joined by Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Carolina, and South Dakota.
Read a copy of the letter here.