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Sen. Chuck Grassley to support change aimed at smooth transition of power
University of Iowa professor testifies before Congress on the Electoral Count Reform Act
By Sarah Watson - Quad-City Times
Aug. 3, 2022 5:41 pm
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa's senior Republican, said he would most likely support a measure that aims to ensure a peaceful transition of power from one president to the next after attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed rewrites of the 1887 Electoral Count Act, the vague wording of which allies of former President Donald Trump based their arguments on in an attempt to reverse the results of the 2020 election. A U.S. Senate committee held hearings on the proposed bill Wednesday, for which University of Iowa Law professor Derek Muller provided testimony.
The proposed rewrites would clarify that the vice president doesn't have discretion over the results, raises the objection threshold in Congress, and clarifies procedures.
"Now, I have not read the bill, but I have read a lot about the bill, and I think that I'm going to vote for it," Grassley told reporters on a press call Wednesday.
"I believe that they made some good changes, particularly the one in both houses where you have to have 20 percent of the body raise an objection to receiving the (electoral) ballots from the states."
Muller told Congress in prepared remarks that the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 was a "good bill" with bipartisan support that is "sufficient to handle the pressing challenges in presidential elections, for this moment and for the future."
"The risks of failing to enact the ECRA are, in my judgment, significant," he continued. "Some have attempted to exploit ambiguities in the ECA over the years, most significantly in the 2020 election. To leave those ambiguities in place ahead of the 2024 election is to invite serious mischief. No law can prevent all mischief. But the ECRA significantly strengthens several important areas of the ECA and offers greater confidence."
Grassley said another reason to put him in the "yes" column is the bill clarifies that the vice president's role in certifying elections is limited.
"People thought, well, maybe the vice president has some discretion. He should not have had this discretion ever," Grassley said. "And this law will make it clear that he won't have that discretion."
"So that's two out of maybe several reasons I might vote for it now," Grassley continued. "Just give me one opportunity here, too, if I vote ‘no’ when this bill comes up, and that's when I read it. I may come to a different conclusion. But that's everything I know about it."
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, presides over a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee in March 2017. (The Gazette)