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Conservative Leaders Call on Congress to Pass Legislation to Protect Election Infrastructure 

Grover Norquist, Adam Brandon and Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer and others explain how the federal government must help states safeguard elections from foreign interference

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 18, 2019) – Conservative leaders called on Congress today to pass legislation and provide States with responsible funding tied to accountability measures to safeguard elections. These latest demands signify pressure coming from the Right on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to address election security legislation and join a broad coalition calling on the federal government to appropriate more funds for states to require updates and protections for election infrastructure.

The event, which featured speakers including Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform; Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks; and Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, London Center for Policy Research, was organized by the National Election Defense Coalition (NEDC).

“It’s time for lawmakers to support states and address election security risks – and Senate Republicans can lead the charge. As fiscal conservatives, we’re skeptical of government spending and federal actions that could undermine states, but there is a clear path forward so long as funding is offset to be deficit-neutral and legislation stipulates funding can only go towards secure voting systems,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.

 “We must make sure that Americans’ votes are properly recorded and counted as cast. This is too important to not get right. Providing federal funding for states to update their election systems is an investment in our national security, and it’s worth every dollar,” said Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research.

The Senate has yet to take up election security measures that would address weaknesses in our election infrastructure, preferring to pass the responsibility to state governments that may be under-equipped to deal with these threats. But conservative leaders assert that Congress has a clear constitutional role to play in this matter, arguing that states need more federal support to replace vulnerable election systems – support that may also include minimum standards and requirements to ensure election security and resilience.  

Free and fair elections form the foundation of our democracy, and with the next presidential election nearly a year away, the speakers will argue now is the time to put necessary measures in place to protect them. Protecting the American voting system – with each vote cast as intended and counted as cast – is something Congress must support at the federal level.

“Congress needs to take important and timely steps to assist states in updating their voting infrastructure with secure election systems and processes. There are sensible and cost-effective solutions for the federal government to take but without action from leaders in Congress, serious threats to American elections remain,” said Adam Brandon, president of FreedomWorks. 

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About NEDC:

The NEDC is the only organization building a bipartisan national movement to secure elections technology. We bring together experts in cybersecurity and elections administration, policymakers, NGOs and concerned citizens to build consensus on a comprehensive, cost-effective plan to secure the vote in coming elections.