Contact: David Beltran
323-365-5754
[email protected]
DASS Statement on McConnell Tying $2,000 COVID Relief Checks to Creation of a Commission to Investigate Baseless Election Claims
The Democratic Association of Secretaries of State strongly condemn Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s bill tying necessary $2,000 stimulus checks for the American people to the creation of a commission to investigate baseless allegations about a free and fair election that has been hailed as the most secure election in American history. Although we support all efforts to provide economic relief to the American people and to strengthen the security of our elections, the partisan motives behind this proposed commission undermine its own credibility and play into conspiracy theories designed to overturn the will of the American people in the 2020 presidential election.
Leader McConnell’s proposed election investigation is both unnecessary and dangerous. The creation of such a commission would be a waste of taxpayer funds and government resources at a time when Americans are in dire need of economic aid.
“This is a cynical ploy to prevent much-needed COVID relief by feeding into baseless conspiracy theories that have been dismissed by dozens of courts across the country. Senator McConnell is directly attacking the hard-working local election officials of both parties who administered an election that has been called ‘the most secure in history.’ It is time for Senator McConnell to put aside his partisan posturing, respect the will of the American people, and work across the aisle to put critical aid in the hands of people who are struggling throughout our country.” – Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, Chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State.
“The Republican proposal for a new election integrity commission serves as further proof that the only way they interpret a fair election is one where they can control who gets to vote. We learned on the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity that despite the repeated assurances of ‘no foregone conclusions or pre-ordained outcomes’ that in fact the entire course of the work of the commission was predetermined—as evidenced by the draft report we obtained by way of court order that was a framework of “reforms” to prevent “voter fraud”. That commission only met twice and never formally mapped out its scope of work—and yet the voter-fraud vampire hunters knew exactly what they wanted to see done—shearing American citizens of their access to the mechanisms of democratic self-governance. This proposal by the Majority Leader is more of the same, and should be soundly rejected by Congress.” – Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap
We stand by the integrity of the presidential election and the work of thousands of election officials nationwide who diligently ensured the safety and security of the voting process. We celebrate the record-breaking turnout that saw more Americans exercising their right to vote than ever before. And we will continue to defend the success of the November 3rd election despite the ongoing efforts to undermine the results.
DASS is a national political organization dedicated to electing Democratic secretaries of state who are committed to protecting and preserving voting rights and ballot access for all Americans through fair, honest, open, and accurate elections.
For more information about DASS, visit their website at www.demsofstate.org.
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