The House passed an electoral reform bill on Wednesday that would prevent presidents from using Congress to overturn election results, according to The Washington Post.
It was the first time lawmakers had voted on “such an effort” since the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol to prevent the certification of President Biden’s victory, according to the Post.
Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) authored the Presidential Election Reform Act.
The bill cites the Capitol incident as justification for amending the existing Electoral Count Act of 1887 in order to “prevent future unlawful attempts to overturn presidential elections” and “ensure future peaceful transfers of presidential power.”
The bill passed with a vote of 229 to 203. According to the Post, after retiring or losing their primaries, nine Republicans who will not be in Congress next year voted with the Democrats in favor of the bill.
The Presidential Election Reform Act clarifies that the vice president has no role in the validation process of a presidential election; he or she is merely a figurehead who supervises the counting of votes and cannot alter the outcome.
The act raises the bar for members of both chambers to object to a state’s election results and clarifies governors’ role in the process.
According to the Post, it also affirms that state legislatures cannot change election rules retroactively to alter voting results.
