Effort to overhaul archaic election law wins new momentum
By Jordain Carney - 01/21/22 06:00 AM EST
Momentum is growing for making changes to an archaic election law after former President Trump and his allies tried to overturn Electoral College results.
Multiple groups on Capitol Hill are working on reforms to the Electoral Count Act, which lays out how the Electoral College results are counted. And in a rare area of overlap, GOP leaders in both chambers and President Biden are opening the door to changes to the 1887 law.
Though talks on the law have been quietly happening behind-the-scenes on Capitol Hill for weeks, they are moving to the forefront as lawmakers try to figure out what, if anything, can be done in the election space after a separate, Democratic attempt to pass a sweeping voting rights bill unraveled.
“It’s a good win there, I mean my goodness, that’s what caused the insurrection. That’s exactly what we should be doing,” said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), referring to the Jan. 6, 2020 attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters who hoped to stop the formal Electoral College count.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/590718-effort-to-overhaul-archaic-election-law-wins-new-momentum
