Press Releases

Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12) today released the following statement after opposing H.R. 1, Democrats’ For The Politicians Act, which passed the House last night on a party-line vote:

“I’ve witnessed my Democrat colleagues attempt a lot of power grabs since being in the Majority, but H.R. 1 is by far the most extreme. This bill will federalize elections, despite the Constitution explicitly granting states the authority to establish election law and administer elections. Not only does the bill include troubling provisions like legalizing ballot harvesting, permanently expanding mail-in voting with no safeguards and allowing convicted felons to vote, it also forces taxpayers to subsidize political campaigns -- even if they do not support a certain candidate. This bill isn’t going to help the American People, it’ll only benefit politicians in Washington.

“While I believe changes are needed to restore election integrity, H.R. 1 is not the answer and will only exacerbate some of the recent issues experienced in the 2020 election. Just as the Georgia State House took steps to address election reform this week, H.R. 1 would supersede state laws like Georgia’s. We don’t want Georgia’s elections to look like California’s!”

Background
Congressman Allen offered an amendment to H.R. 1 that would strengthen voter identification laws, requiring that a State-issued driver’s license number, state identification number or copy of photo identification be submitted when requesting an absentee ballot for federal elections. Democrats would not even allow the amendment to be debated on the House floor.

Additionally, Congressman Allen published an opinion piece in The Augusta Chronicle last month further explaining his opposition to the bill. You can read the full text here.