House Passes Bill Changing Rules for Confirming Electoral Vote Count

The House of Representatives passed legislation proposed by Democratic California Rep. Zoe Lofgren and Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney that would increase the number of lawmakers needed to object to a state’s electoral vote count.

The Presidential Election Reform Act would require that at least one-third of both the House of Representatives and the Senate sign onto an objection to a state’s electoral slate. The bill also limits the ability of members to object to a state’s electoral slate.

The Senate is considering similar legislation, although it is unlikely to take that bill up before the November midterms.

Two hundred-twenty Democrats and nine Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while all 203 “no” votes came from the GOP. None of the nine Republicans who voted in favor of the Presidential Election Reform Act will serve in the 118th Congress. Eight of the Republicans voted to impeach former President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The ninth, New York Rep. Chris Jacobs, announced his retirement after supporting gun control legislation.