Lankford Opposes Democrats’ Third Attempt to Takeover Elections

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today opposed the “Freedom to Vote Act,” S.2747 (similar to S.1). Lankford has been outspoken that Democrats’ attempt to federalize our elections comes with significant negative consequences on our nation’s free and fair elections. The procedural vote to move forward to debate the bill failed by a vote of 49-51.  

“Americans want safe and secure elections. The Freedom to Vote Act is take- three of S.1—making it easy to cheat and impossible to verify. I am again strongly opposing Democrats’ continued attempt to federalize our elections, block states from enacting their own laws, and make it harder to remove ineligible voters from the voter rolls. Democrats may keep changing the name of the bill, but the American people will not be fooled. I will not give up on ensuring our state’s election process is protected from a federal takeover aimed to keep Democrats in power.”

Lankford opposes the bill because it:

• Provides public funding for House campaigns and $25 vouchers for Americans to donate to campaigns
• requires same-day, automatic, and online voter registration
• guts voter ID laws/would force Oklahoma to change our voter ID laws
• limits states’ ability to clean up and maintain accurate voter rolls 
• requires fifteen days of early voting
• requires ballot drop boxes
• requires no-excuse absentee ballots
• requires burdensome donor disclosures 

In June, Lankford strongly opposed the “For the People Act.” Lankford sounded the alarm on Democrats’ so-called “For the People Act” as it was being sold to the American people as necessary to protect election integrity, but is actually a massive federal takeover of state elections. Lankford joined Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to introduce the Don’t Weaponize the IRS Act to prevent the IRS from being used as a political weapon against conservative nonprofits. S.1 would repeal and undermine a Trump Administration rule that prevented the IRS from targeting certain tax-exempt groups based on political beliefs. 

Lankford and Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) praised a letter from Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax regarding the dangers he sees posed by S.1 to Oklahoma’s free and fair election process. Lankford spoke on the Senate floor for a second time on the announcement that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) planned to bring S.1 to the floor. Lankford also wrote an opinion piece to Oklahomans that Democrats’ federal election takeover bill is not “For the People.” 

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