Stand Up America: How The Omnibus Stacks Up on Democracy Issues

December 23rd, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
DECEMBER 23, 2022

PRESS CONTACT:
Tracy Adair, press@standupamerica.com

By passing ECA reforms, Congress has taken “an important step in preventing future efforts to overturn the will of the people,” but unfortunately “fell short on delivering funding to help states secure their elections”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congress passed an omnibus funding package which included crucial reforms to the Electoral Count Act of 1887 and changes that will help prevent another Trump-Ukraine debacle.

The FY23 appropriations package includes:

Electoral Count Act reforms, including raising the threshold needed for Members of Congress to object to a state’s certified presidential election results, clarifying the Vice President’s role in the electoral vote count, and helping to ensure smooth transitions between presidents.
Critical reforms from the Protecting Our Democracy Act which will help strengthen Congress’ constitutional spending authority and ability to provide strong oversight over the Executive Branch.

While Congress also passed $75 million for election infrastructure as part of the omnibus, funding levels were well below the $400 million requested by pro-democracy groups including Stand Up America.

Sean Eldridge, President & Founder of Stand Up America, commented on the inclusion of this essential legislation:

“Two years ago, Donald Trump and his MAGA allies exploited the vague and outdated Electoral Count Act in an attempt to steal the presidency. By modernizing the ECA, Congress has taken an important step to prevent future efforts to overturn the will of the people and disrupt the peaceful transition of power.

“Key provisions from the Protecting Our Democracy Act included in the omnibus will prevent future abuses of presidential power—including preventing another Trump-Ukraine debacle—by strengthening Congress’ power of the purse.

“Unfortunately, our leaders fell short on delivering funding to help states secure their elections and protect election workers. The $75 million allocated for election infrastructure simply isn’t enough, and we urge members of Congress to continue working in the next Congress to provide our election administrators with the resources they need to ensure that all Americans can vote safely and securely.”

To speak with an expert at Stand Up America, please don’t hesitate to reach out to press@standupamerica.com.

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About Stand Up America
Stand Up America is a progressive advocacy organization with nearly two million community members across the country. Focused on grassroots advocacy to stand up to corruption and voter suppression and build a more representative democracy, Stand Up America has driven over 1.7 million calls to lawmakers, registered over 100,000 voters, mobilized thousands of protestors, and contacted tens of millions of voters.

Website: StandUpAmerica.com
Twitter: @StandUpAmerica
Instagram: @StandUp_America
Facebook: @StandUpAmerica