By William Haupt III | The Center Square contributor
In
this June 9, 2020, file photo, a sign indicates where mail ballots may be dropped
off as people wait in line at one of a few in person voting places during a
nearly all-mail primary election in Las Vegas. Nevada's new vote-by-mail law
includes provisions allowing anyone to collect and return ballots on a voter's
behalf, a practice critics deride as ballot harvesting and that President
Donald Trump and Republicans are targeting amid a broader fight over voting
amid the pandemic. - AP Photo/John Locher, File
“The only ones denying people access to the ballot box
are the people themselves.”
– Alvin Rollins
The fear of federal arrogation of states rights was the
dominant conversation at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Many features
of the Constitution originated from delegates who shared this fear. The
founders took great pains to protect states from federalism with guardrails to
keep central government in check. Delegates demanded assurance that all states
would control their elections.
Many of our framers feared the type of “factions” that
hindered Enlightenment reforms like those that consumed Europe.
– Thomas Paine
James Madison is regarded as the father of the
Constitution. His ideas shaped the contours of our new governing document. The
theme that resonated throughout the convention was the necessity to restrict
the scope of government so it could not infringe on state self-governing. The
government would have limited powers with the majority determined by state
legislatures in their Constitutions.
Madison was determined to draft a Constitution that would
protect America from the chasms that brought down ancient republics. When the
demagoguery of organized mob rule limited their liberty, they tumbled.
“All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain
degree.”
– James Madison
The delegates believed government derived its powers from
the consent of the governed, and the authority to grant that power must be
obtained from the states. In the Federalist Papers, Madison assured the
colonies that the new central government had no authority to inhibit their
independent elections.
“Let it be the wisdom of each state to decide the future
of our nation.”
– James Madison
With sectional rivalries dominating election discussions
and representation in Congress, delegates agreed that the Constitution would
allow each state to control their own elections. The states alone would choose
those who governed. This is engrained in Article I Section 4, of the U.S.
Constitution.
To protect state autonomy over the election process,
delegates demanded the Constitution never allow Congress to interfere with
their independent elections. Article V of the Constitution states that: “Any
amendment which affects state representation is invalid unless ‘every state’
ratifies it.”
Our founders included mechanisms to inhibit the
formulation of radical federal factions that would try to circumvent the power
granted them by the states. But that only lasted until the first Congress in
1790 when Jefferson and Hamilton formed two very distinct and separate
dangerous factions.
Since then, the executive branch and Congress have bowed
down to the whims of factions. In the 1900s, progressives Theodore Roosevelt
and Woodrow Wilson set the precedent that the president set the agenda for
Congress, not the voters, which negated the founding principles of the
executive branch.
“You forget, I won, and we write the bill. Elections have
consequences!”
– Barack Obama
Today, we find ourselves looking down the barrel of a
cannon knowing the damage it will do when it explodes! This is a repeat of Dec.
24, 2009, that ruined every Christmas since then! When Nancy Pelosi said we had
to pass Obamacare to find out what was in it, she knew: We not only could not
keep the doctors that we wanted, but that we could not keep the insurance that
we wanted either!
HR1, the “For the People Act”, is an accident that
happened in the House and is ready to implode in the Senate. With an ultra thin
margin in the House, this has been a progressive socialist priority since
November.
“Our goal is to standardize the election process in every
state.”
– Nancy Pelosi
President Joe Biden stated last week, “This landmark
legislation ensures that Congress’ broad constitutional authority is used to
strengthen our elections. Our goal is to simply standardize all state
elections.”
If passed by the Senate, it will repeal all state
election statutes and it will federalize state elections.
This 791-page bill makes felons eligible to vote although
Section 2 of the 14th Amendment grants states the authority to decide this. It
bans signature verification and permits unlimited Election Day registration. It
mandates all mail-in voting and allows ballot harvesting. Political staffers
can canvas districts and solicit ballots and votes. It also mandates that
states accept absentee ballots up to 10 days after the election. If
progressives need more votes to win, they can harvest all they need?
States will be required to automatically register all
individuals to vote from information out of state databases, including the
Department of Motor Vehicles, Social Security, corrections and welfare and
probation agencies. These databases include legal and illegal aliens. It also
mandates states register teens age 16 and over to vote. They can’t vote until
18 but they do not have to prove it.
This bill strips state legislatures from redistricting
after the Census. It requires states to appoint a committee to redraw
congressional districts. It mandates that all people, including legal and
illegal immigrants, are counted in drawing congressional districts. Yet this is
a violation of Article 5 of the Constitution.
H1’s most egregious assault against our Constitution is
voting is no longer a privilege to qualified citizens, but a right to all
people in our nation who are here legally or illegally, qualified or not. It
nullifies all state voter ID requirements and state election laws that allow
states to guarantee the integrity of their voter roles!
“Voting is a privilege that should not be taken lightly.”
– Ron DeSantis
Greek historian Herodotus wrote, “false knowledge is more
dangerous than ignorance.” The voters who rely on social media, the fish wrap
or TV agitprop for news are led to believe that H1 improves voting rights. But
any bill that declares, “Contrary to Article I of the U.S. Constitution,
Congress has ultimate supervisory power over federal elections," is
telling Americans Congress has the authority to violate the Constitution and
force federalism down the throats of Americans any time they wish!
In socialist and communist dictatorships, everyone is obligated by law to vote for the only person on the ballot. H1 will make it possible for progressives to stuff ballot boxes for every candidate they wish. By federalizing elections, states no longer empower government, and the government rations the liberties within the states. H1 nullifies all of our states as guaranteed in the Constitution and is anti-republican.
Photo: Founding Father Thomas Jefferson – Getty Image
“Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of
government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations,
perverted it into tyranny.”
– Thomas Jefferson
