Lankford Strongly Opposes Democrats’ Election Donor Bully Bill

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today voted in strong opposition to the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act. The bill failed to advance in the Senate in a vote of 49-49.

Originally included in the Democrats’ failed election-takeover bill, the so-called “For the People Act,” the DISCLOSE Act violates privacy rights by requiring organizations to disclose the names and addresses of their donors who give $10,000 or more during an election cycle. The DISCLOSE ACT invites people who disagree with an organization to intimidate donors into not giving. Not only does this raise privacy concerns, it will inevitably chill free speech.

“This is now the sixth time the Democrats’ have tried to push their federal takeover of our elections. This bill would subject individual donors across the political spectrum to intimidation with the intent to silence,” said Lankford. “I support transparency and security in our elections, but we all know this bill just makes it easier to ‘dox’ political donors. Even the left-leaning American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) opposes the federal election takeover bill.”

Earlier this year, Lankford spoke at length on the Senate floor and released a video to highlight the harm of passing legislation to federalize elections after Democrats’ fifth attempt to pass federal election takeover legislation failed earlier this year. Democrats were willing to blow up the legislative filibuster to pass this legislation. Lankford also pointed out Democrats’ hypocrisy by reading their previous statements on protecting the filibuster, including Leader Chuck Schumer and then Senator Joe Biden.   

Last year, 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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