From Congresswoman Elise Stefanik
“Today we are witnessing democracy at work. This isn’t as some of our colleagues have referred to, sadly, as frivolous, this debate is fundamental to our democracy. The Representatives of the American people in this House are standing up for three fundamental American beliefs: the right to vote is sacred, that a representative has a duty to represent his or her constituents, and that the rule of law is a hallmark of our nation.”
The words above are not mine. They are those of Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the Democrats’ objection to the 2005 electoral college certification of President George W. Bush.
In her speech, Speaker Pelosi went on to say: “Our very democracy depends on the confidence of the American people in the integrity of our electoral system. So, my colleagues, please don’t talk about this as a conspiracy theory, it’s not about that, it’s not about conspiracy. It’s about the Constitution of the United States.”
Sixteen years later – this discussion is still about the Constitution. It is still about the American people. And it is my belief that the House of Representatives should have this debate once again. It is my belief that the American people deserve it.
I am honored every day to represent New York’s 21st Congressional District, and I believe it is my solemn and sacred duty to serve as their voice and their vote in the House of Representatives.
Today, I will respectfully object to contested electors from the states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. I do not take this action lightly. I am acting to protect our democratic process and the Constitution. Article II and the Twelfth Amendment of the Constitution make clear that I have an obligation to act on this matter if I believe there are serious questions with respect to the Presidential election.
I believe those questions exist. Tens of millions of Americans are rightly concerned that the 2020 election featured unprecedented voting irregularities, unconstitutional overreach by unelected state officials and judges ignoring state election laws, and a fundamental lack of ballot integrity and security.
In Pennsylvania, the Democratic State Supreme Court and Secretary of State unilaterally and unconstitutionally rewrote election law eliminating signature matching requirements. They arbitrarily allowed late arriving ballots to be counted even though doing so explicitly ignored and broke state election law. And duly credentialed election observers were not allowed to observe voting and the counting of the vote – another unconstitutional act.
In Georgia, there was unconstitutional overreach when the Secretary of State unilaterally gutted signature matching for absentee ballots and in essence eliminated voter verification required by state election law. In addition, more than 140,000 votes came from underage, deceased, and otherwise unauthorized voters — in Fulton County alone. And many individuals testified to not being able to meaningfully observe the counting of ballots.
In Wisconsin, partisan state officials issued rules to circumvent a state law – issued by the legislature as the Constitution requires – that required absentee voters to provide photo identification before obtaining a ballot. Wisconsin’s very own Supreme Court reprimanded the officials for issuing “legally incorrect” guidance. It is also a fact that Wisconsin state law specifies absentee ballots may only be returned by mail or delivered in person to the clerk’s office – but the City of Madison illegally held events at multiple locations to collect more than 17,000 ballots anyway.
In Michigan, many individuals signed affidavits documenting the unconstitutional irregularities they witnessed – officials physically blocking the legal right of poll watchers to observe vote counts, the counting of late ballots, hand stamping ballots with the previous day’s date, and more. The merits of these illegal, alarming, and reprehensible actions were never considered by a court.
These unconstitutional acts are why I object today.
I know my constituents in the North Country cherish the Constitution, and they know the Constitution grants the power of the pen to write election law to those closest to the people – the state legislatures. It is not the legal right of unelected bureaucrats, judges, Governors, or Secretaries of State.
To the tens of thousands of constituents who have reached out to me in the past few weeks – please know that I’m listening, and I hear you. I believe the most precious foundation and covenant of our Republic is the right to vote, and consequently, the faith in the sanctity of our nation’s free and fair elections.
Today, my vote is about restoring the faith of the American people in our elections – that they are free, fair, secure, and according to the United States Constitution. Our Constitutional Republic will endure this important debate today because the Founding Fathers knew Congress would face unprecedented challenges. We will endure because we did so after my Democrat House colleagues objected to nearly every single Republican President in my lifetime – in 1989, 2001, 2005, and 2017. The United States of America has endured through every election since it’s founding and the ratification of the Constitution in 1788 – and that is why America will forever be the shining city on a hill.
