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Senators working across the aisle to reform Electoral Count Act

Feb 01, 2022

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A bipartisan group of senators, including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), is working to close a loophole in the Electoral Count Act of 1887 and could have a plan as early as Friday. The ECA is a law that governs how Congress counts electoral votes following a presidential election.

Following the Capitol riots, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle want to close a loophole in it to make sure the vice president cannot reject state certified results when Congress meets to count the votes.

“We need to prevent that from happening again,” Collins said on ABC This Week. “I think it is really important that we do this reform.”

Collins said the group should focus on two priorities. The first would be to “make very clear that the vice president’s role is simply ministerial, that he has no ability to halt the count.” Her second priority is to “raise the threshold from one House member, one senator, for triggering a challenge to a vote count submitted by the states.”

Annie Andersen: “unfortunately [Pence] did not exercise that power, he could have overturned the Election!”

That statement from President Trump about the electoral count act is why lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are now making sure they deal with the issue. The ECA  is a law that governs how Congress counts electoral votes following a presidential election.

A bipartisan group of senators are working on closing a loophole in it to make sure the vice president cannot reject state certified results when congress meets to count the votes. 

In a statement former President Trump confirmed he wanted Mike Pence to overturn the results.. It reads in part.. “If the Vice President (Mike Pence) had ‘absolutely no right’ to change the Presidential Election results in the Senate, … how come the Democrats and RINO Republicans, like Wacky Susan Collins, are desperately trying to pass legislation that will not allow the Vice President to change the results of the election? Actually, what they are saying, is t hat Mike Pence did have the right to change the outcome, and they now want to take that right away,” 

TAKE SOT- Sen. Susan Collins

“We need to prevent that from happening again…I think it is really important that we do this reform.” 

Annie Andersen; How exactly would they update the law? It’s not yet clear, but there are two priorities, according to Collins:

TAKE SOT- Sen. Susan Collins

“…make very clear that the vice president’s role is simply ministerial, that he has no ability to halt the count…” AND“…raise the threshold from one House member, one senator, for triggering a challenge to a vote count submitted by the states.”

Annie Andersen: According to Punchbowl News, a bipartisan group of senators will meet via Zoom on Friday to discuss their proposals and “put a pen to it.

Straight from DC I’m AA