H.R. 4 would reestablish a “preclearance” process similar to what existed under the 1965 Voting Rights Act prior to 2013. Under it, states would be required to obtain permission from the U.S. Department of Justice prior to implementing modifications to their election laws. The types of election laws subject to preclearance under H.R. 4 include redistricting, and the bill effectively prohibits new voter ID laws or rollbacks of “multilingual voting materials.”
The House passed H.R. 4 on August 24, 2021 by a vote of 219 to 212 (Roll Call 260). We have assigned pluses to the nays because not only does this bill undermine election integrity, but it infringes upon state sovereignty as established under the 10th Amendment, subjugating it to the whims of federal bureaucrats.
