HOUSE PASSES TWO PHILLIPS BILLS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE ELECTIONS AND PREVENT CORRUPTION

The provisions were included in the Protecting Our Democracy Act, comprehensive legislation to strengthen America’s democracy

Washington, D.C. — Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) voted to pass the Protecting Our Democracy Act, a sweeping package of democracy reforms designed to restore the system of checks and balances envisioned in our Constitution, and successfully added two amendments designed to encourage ranked choice voting and prohibit the use of federal property for political conventions.

“Our democracy is fragile. To maintain it requires eternal vigilance by principled Americans standing firm against those who seek to exploit its vulnerabilities for personal gain,” said Rep. Phillips. “The Protecting Our Democracy Act would eliminate known vulnerabilities and ensure our democracy flourishes for generations to come.”

Two amendments authored by Rep. Phillips were successfully added to the Protecting Our Democracy Act:

• Rep. Phillips’s Voter Choice Act, which would provide $40 million in federal grants to cover up to 50 percent of the cost for local and state governments that choose to adopt ranked choice voting. Ranked choice voting improves the electoral system by empowering voters and rewarding candidates who broaden support beyond their base.
• An amended version of Rep. Phillips’s Our Lawn Act, which would prohibit the use of federal property, including the White House grounds, for national political conventions. This amendment is necessary to close a loophole outlined in a recent report from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel which found that holding the 2020 Republican National Convention at the White House did not violate the Hatch Act.

The Protecting Our Democracy Act offers a thoughtful approach to addressing vulnerabilities in our democratic system that could be exploited by unscrupulous actors in the Executive Branch, regardless of their political persuasion. The bill includes provisions to prevent future presidents from abusing their authority, protect our elections from foreign interference, strengthen accountability in government, and ensure an independent judicial system.

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