Representative Laurel Lee (R-FL) discussed the Make Elections Great Again Act (MEGA) in a recent House Administration Committee hearing.
The MEGA Act is very similar to the more well-known SAVE Act, which requires proof of citizenship to vote, but with provisions pertaining to election administration as well, such as stricter voter roll maintenance, enforcing Election Day ballot collection, and banning ballot harvesting.
"These measures are proven effective," Rep. Lee argued, adding that "they promote security, and they promote public confidence, all endeavors we should be pursuing in Congress."
During the hearing, Rep. Lee asked Michigan State Representative Ann Bollin (R-49) about how the Department of Homeland Security regards election infrastructure as critical, and how federalism relates to it.
Bollin responded, "I think it is extremely important when we relegate these to the states that everybody wants competence," adding that she is "really puzzled" by the denial of election fraud.
"Why would we wait for fraud to occur to protect [election infrastructure]?" Bollin questioned, noting that if measures are not in place to ensure accountability, "then we will never have fair elections."
Rep. Lee also questioned Judicial Watch Senior Attorney T. Russ Nobile, requesting an explanation of how timely election result reporting improves voter confidence. Nobile suggested that ballot collection after Election Day violates federal law.
Nobile further commented that the concept of Election Day has been one of the oldest parts of the American political process, "but in the last 15 years, there has been this activist effort to get state legislators to extend ballot receipt deadlines in a way that, frankly, makes elections disorderly, unreliable, and suspicious, and it has radically reduced public trust in elections."
"I can tell you, in Florida, the third largest state in the country, we know how to do this. We get our ballots in on Election Day, and we have the results by nine o'clock. So it can be done, and it absolutely improves voter confidence," Rep. Lee responded.
