National Council on Election Integrity urges Congress to pass full and complete update to the ECA

In an open letter sent to Congress, members of Issue One’s bipartisan National Council on Election Integrity urged both chambers to pass a full and complete update to the Electoral Count Act (ECA) this year to ensure the peaceful transfer of power in 2025 and protect against a constitutional crisis following future presidential elections.

“The recent progress made by the bipartisan working group in the Senate on the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act (S. 4573) and the recent House passage of the Presidential Election Reform Act (H.R. 8873) are both promising developments, and represent the robust bipartisan, bicameral momentum to improve the integrity of our electoral system and help prevent future constitutional crises,” the group writes. “We strongly and enthusiastically commend all Members of Congress who have contributed to moving this issue forward, and we urge you to continue this collaboration until a bipartisan ECA update is passed.”

The letter continues: “Members on both sides of the aisle must work out the final details and act swiftly to get this done. Passing a robust ECA update during this Congress will show the American people and the world that, when it comes to strengthening our country’s democratic institutions, Democrats and Republicans meet at the water’s edge to implement effective and lasting solutions. We look forward to supporting the ongoing discussion in both Chambers over the coming months.”

The full text and list of signatures is included below.

Open Letter to Members of the 117th Congress:

We, the undersigned, are members of Issue One’s National Council on Election Integrity, a bipartisan group of government, political, and civic leaders who are devoted to protecting our elections and upholding our country’s tradition of the peaceful transition of presidential power.

We write to you today to reiterate our strong support for a full and complete bipartisan update to the Electoral Count Act of 1887 (ECA) this year. The recent progress made by the bipartisan working group in the Senate on the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act (S. 4573) and the recent House passage of the Presidential Election Reform Act (H.R. 8873) are both promising developments, and represent the robust bipartisan, bicameral momentum to improve the integrity of our electoral system and help prevent future constitutional crises. We strongly and enthusiastically commend all Members of Congress who have contributed to moving this issue forward, and we urge you to continue this collaboration until a bipartisan ECA update is passed.

Strengthening the ECA means establishing clear timelines and rules for the appointment of presidential electors, recognizing each state’s ability to adjudicate its own post-election disputes, making clear that the vice president’s role is ministerial, and requiring Congress to accept a state’s certified election results and setting out a clear process for resolving disputes in Congress. These safeguards will modernize the antiquated language that currently exists in the ECA and will assist with the prevention of a constitutional crisis following future presidential elections.

Members on both sides of the aisle must work out the final details and act swiftly to get this done. Passing a robust ECA update during this Congress will show the American people and the world that, when it comes to strengthening our country’s democratic institutions, Democrats and Republicans meet at the water’s edge to implement effective and lasting solutions. We look forward to supporting the ongoing discussion in both Chambers over the coming months.

Sincerely,

Fmr. Congressman Charles Boustany (R-LA)

Fmr. DNC Chair Donna Brazile

General Jim Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Fmr. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff (R)

Fmr. Senator and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats (R-IN)

Fmr. Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA)

Fmr. Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-FL)

Fmr. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD)

Fmr. Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD)

Fmr. Senator & President of the American Constitution Society Russ Feingold (D-WI)

Fmr. House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-MO)

Fmr. Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R)

Fmr. Congressman Steve Gunderson (R-WI)

Fmr. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (R-NE)

Fmr. Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA)

Fmr. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA)

Hon. Amber McReynolds, Governor for the United States Post Office and former local election official

Fmr. Congresswoman Susan Molinari (R-NY)

Fmr. Ambassador Connie Morella (R-MD)

Fmr. Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL)

Admiral Bill Owens, Fmr. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Fmr. Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-OH)

Fmr. Congressman Reid Ribble (R-WI)

Fmr. Ambassador Tim Roemer (D-IN)

Admiral Mike Rogers, Fmr. Director of National Security Agency

Fmr. Lieutenant Governor and RNC Chair Michael Steele (R-MD)

Fmr. Congressman Zach Wamp (R-TN)

Fmr. Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA)

Fmr. Senator Tim Wirth (D-CO)