ATLANTA — A House Committee will hold a field hearing next week in Atlanta to examine, it says, American confidence in elections and discuss a Republican-supported elections reform bill that in some ways mirrors Georgia's passed after the 2020 election.
The hearing by the House Committee on Administration, which is chaired by Wisconsin Republican Rep. Bryan Steil, will be held on Monday, July 10, at Georgia State University at 2:30 p.m.
Among the scheduled speakers are the Republican vice chair of Fulton County's Board of Elections, Dr. Kathleen Ruth.
An earlier event on Monday at Marietta Diner, which will also feature Woodstock Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk, will discuss GOP support for the American Confidence in Elections Act.
Among the Republicans to endorse measures of the act are Georgia Sec. of State Brad Raffensperger, who said, "Georgia was once again used as a model for national reform," at a similar hearing in May.
Georgia's 2021 law required ID for absentee ballots, scaled back drop box access and added a day of early voting, among other provisions. One of the most contentious of the law's provisions was restricting groups from giving out food and water to those in voting line, as Democrats assailed it as a voter suppression tactic.
Georgia Republicans have since argued high turnout in the elections that have followed the law's passing proved the voter suppression claims were unfounded. Democrats have argued the turnout was a result of impassioned and energized voters who turned out in spite of the bill's provisions.
The American Confidence in Elections Act would institute several changes to federal election law, blocking non-citizen voting, as well as Washington, D.C.'s election processes - including requiring photo ID, prohibiting same-day registration and "ballot harvesting," and requiring post-election audits, all of which are features of current Georgia election law.
It's unlikely the bill would have a serious chance of passing the Democrat-held Senate, with at least one leading House Democrat, Rep. Jamie Raskin, calling it "anti-voter legislation" with an "obvious aim... to disenfranchise people and make it harder to vote."
Its congressional supporters have called the bill a "comprehensive plan to restore confidence in America’s electoral process" that would "equip states, protect Americans’ political speech and ensure overdue election integrity measures for the District of Columbia."