{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-votes-to-advance-electoral-count-act-reforms-in-key-committee", "King Votes to Advance Electoral Count Act Reforms in Key Committee", "2022-09-27", "2022", "2022-09", "Independent", "Senate", "ME", "Angus S. King, Jr.", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", "angusking", "https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/table", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined with a bipartisan group of Senators in the Senate Rules and Administration Committee to advance a package of comprehensive Electoral Count Act (ECA) reforms by an overwhelming vote of 14-1. The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act \u2013 which contains several policy recommendations from Senator King\u2019s ECA discussion draft released in February \u2013 seeks to update procedures for the counting and certification of electoral votes for the presidency. Before the committee vote, Senator King identified two amendments he declined to offer during today\u2019s proceedings: one that would randomize judges to review challenges, in order to avoid \u201cforum shopping\u201d; the other, a clarifying amendment that would state that votes can only be rejected due to legitimate procedural issues, not due to a member disliking the outcome of the election.\n\nThe bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration by the full body.\n\n\u201cToday, the Senate Rules and Administration Committee took a critical step to better protect American democracy and remove dangerous ambiguities from our presidential elections,\u201d said Senator King. \u201cThe need for these reforms could not be more clear. In 2021, factions attempted to exploit the outdated Electoral Count Act to overturn the results of a free and fair election and stoke violence at our capitol. Now, as some continue to raise doubts about our electoral system, we must ensure that the ECA cannot used as a weapon against our democracy by disappointed candidates of either party. The Electoral Count Reform Act prevents abuse of the 1887 law by clarifying the Vice President\u2019s role in counting electoral votes, raising the threshold needed for Congressional objection to the elections, and ensuring that there are not multiple slates of electors submitted by a state. All told, this makes the process for certifying a presidential election clearer and more resistant to attack.\n\n\u201cMake no mistake, this bill is no substitute for the comprehensive voting rights and process reforms we need to confront the wider challenges facing our democracy,\u201d Senator King continued. \u201cWhile I continue to look for ways to better protect the democratic process for all Americans registered to vote before and on election day, this effort will better guarantee that the will of the voters cannot be undermined after votes are cast. I\u2019m heartened to see the bipartisan support this package received and I look forward to the full Senate passing these reforms before the conclusion of this Congressional session.\u201d\n\nThe Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act updates the outdated and vague 1887 Electoral Count Act to ensure that electoral votes tallied by Congress accurately reflect the will of the voters in each state. The bill replaces ambiguous provisions with clear procedures to ensure the counting of electoral votes can\u2019t be exploited. Key provisions in the bill include:\n\nClarifying the Role of the Vice President.\n\nAffirmatively states that the constitutional role of the Vice President in the counting of electoral votes is ceremonial, with no power to adjudicate conflicts that might arise.\n\nRaising the Objection Threshold.\n\nRaises the threshold to object to a state\u2019s electors to at least one-fifth of the duly chosen and sworn members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate \u2013 up from one member of each chamber.\n\nEnsuring a Single, Accurate Slate of Electors.\n\nDesignates each state\u2019s governor as responsible for submitting a single slate of electors to Congress.\n\nEnsures a state\u2019s executive can\u2019t submit a slate of electors over the objections of the judiciary or in violation of state and federal law.\n\nExpediting Judicial Review.\n\nProvides an expedited review process, including a three-judge panel with appeal to the Supreme Court, of certain claims related to a state\u2019s slate of electors.\n\nPreventing Moving or Canceling of Elections.\n\nRequires \u201cextraordinary and catastrophic\u201d events for a state to move their election, and removes a provision that allows states to declare failed elections.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:08:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-votes-to-advance-electoral-count-act-reforms-in-key-committee"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9136348962783813, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}