House Select Committee Examining Prior Election Law

The House Select Committee investigating the Capitol Riots is working on legislation that could be used in order to prevent another insurrection. The legislation would give the committee a focus on developing a law as part of the investigation and tighten the process of certifying a Presidential election. The proposed bill could offer more specific instructions for when Congress can overturn a state’s slate of electors, and more clearly define the role the Vice President plays in counting the votes after former President Trump and his allies pressured Mike Pence into trying to block President Biden’s win.  Members of the committee are examining and looking to making changes to a law from the 19th century known as the ‘Electoral Count Act’ that was intended to give Congress a process to certify the electoral college votes submitted by states which is a mundane but crucial part of the presidential election and one that Trump and his allies tried to exploit during the last election.