Tag Archive for: Presidential Election Day Act loophole

The Trump Coup That Could Have Succeeded

Fred Wertheimer’s Weekly Note | December 22, 2022 On November 4, 2020 — one day after Election Day 2020 — Rick Perry, Trump’s Energy Secretary, contacted White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows with a proposal. Perry proposed an “AGRESSIVE [sic] STRATEGY” to have Republican-controlled state legislatures in key battleground states override the voters and […]

Congress Is Very Close To Finally Closing A Dangerous Election Law Loophole

Fred Wertheimer’s Weekly Note | December 15, 2022 The Electoral Count Reform Act (ECRA) is essential legislation that would close a dangerous loophole in the 19th-century Electoral Count Act. The loophole would permit a state legislature to replace the presidential electors chosen by the state’s voters on Election Day with the choice of the legislature. […]

Moore v. Harper Explainer: The “Independent State Legislature Theory” Will Not Empower State Legislatures To Override Presidential Election Results

The Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the case Moore v. Harper on Wednesday, December 7. In Moore v. Harper, a gerrymandered North Carolina congressional map that was rejected by the state’s Supreme Court is being defended by North Carolina legislators who claim the state court’s decision violates the so-called “independent state legislature theory.” There is a […]

Al Hunt Op-Ed In The Hill: Reports Of The Death Of Election Denialism May Be Greatly Exaggerated

“The current congressional lame duck session may be one of the most consequential,” Albert Hunt writes in an op-ed published yesterday in The Hill. “On the table are a long-term extension of the debt ceiling, aid to Ukraine, fiscal and tax matters, immigration and — at the top of the list — an election reform measure.” […]

Wertheimer On Brookings: The “Independent State Legislature Theory” Will Not Empower State Legislatures To Override Presidential Election Results

There is a key misconception about the potential impact of an upcoming Supreme Court case and the “independent state legislature theory,” Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer writes in an op-ed published on Brookings. The misconception, Wertheimer writes, is this: “[I]f the ‘independent state legislature theory’ is adopted by the Supreme Court in the case of Moore v. […]

A Major Misconception About The “Independent State Legislature Theory”

Fred Wertheimer’s Weekly Note | October 20, 2022 On December 7, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Moore v. Harper, a case which could dramatically and dangerously rewrite American democracy. In this case, a North Carolina redistricting plan that was rejected by the state’s Supreme Court is being defended by North Carolina legislators who […]

Thursday’s Jan. 6 Hearing And What Comes Next

Fred Wertheimer’s Weekly Note | October 13, 2022 Thursday, October 13 marks the last scheduled public meeting of the House January 6th Committee that is examining former President Trump’s attempted coup, the violent, insurrectionist attack on the Capitol he incited, and the events surrounding his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The Committee is expected […]

Electoral Count Reform Act Reported Today By Senate Rules Committee In 14-1 Vote Is Essential Legislation To Protect Against Another Presidential Coup Attempt

Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer The Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 (ECRA) that reforms antiquated 19th-century laws governing the presidential election process is essential and urgently needed legislation to help ensure that any future Trump-like presidential coup attempt will not succeed. Democracy 21 applauds the Senate Rules Committee, led by Chairwoman Amy […]

Democracy 21 Applauds House Passage Of The Presidential Election Reform Act

Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer Democracy 21 applauds the House of Representatives and the Representatives who voted today to pass the Presidential Election Reform Act that will close dangerous loopholes in our presidential election laws. We especially applaud the commitment and hard work of the legislation’s main sponsors, Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and […]

Democracy 21 Strongly Urges House To Pass Lofgren-Cheney Presidential Election Reform Act To Reform Antiquated 19th-Century Laws Governing Presidential Election Process

Democracy 21 today strongly urged House Members to vote for H.R. 8873, the Presidential Election Reform Act (PERA), introduced by Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Liz Cheney (R-WY). The legislation is expected to come to the House floor on Wednesday. This legislation provides for essential reforms to two antiquated 19th-century laws that govern the presidential […]