参议员苏珊·科林斯和乔·曼钦周三联合起来提议修改宪法19世纪法律前总统唐纳德·特朗普和他的盟友试图推翻他的2020年选举损失。
D-W.Va .的Manchin和R-Maine的Collins在参议院规则和管理委员会面前就改革《选举计数法》作证，该法是一部措辞模糊的1887年法律，管理每个州的总统选举人票的计数。
这部曾经晦涩的法律成为特朗普继续掌权的计划的焦点，因为他向共和党议员和时任副总统迈克·彭斯施压，要求他在2021年1月6日的国会联席会议上拒绝某些州投票给乔·拜登。
近150名共和党人仍然反对来自亚利桑那州和宾夕法尼亚州的选举人，即使在美国国会大厦爆发暴力事件后。
“1月6日我们都在那里，”曼钦在证词中说。“那发生了，那是真的。这不是家乡朋友的拜访。我们有义务和责任确保这种事情不再发生。”
Sen. Joe Manchin and Sen. Susan Collins speak to members of the media after they testified at a hearing on the Electoral Count Act before Senate Rules and Administration Committee at Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill Aug. 3, 2022 in Washington, D.C.
亚历克斯·王/盖蒂图片公司
在与16名参议员进行了数月的谈判后，柯林斯和曼钦于7月下旬提出了旨在使法律现代化的立法。周三，他们敦促同事们在本届国会期间通过他们所说的明智且迫切需要的改革。
“在过去的六次总统选举中，有四次《选举计数法》计算选举人票的过程被滥用，两党成员提出了琐碎的反对意见，”柯林斯告诉委员会。“但直到1月6日国会大厦遭到暴力破坏，才真正让人们意识到改革的必要性有多迫切。”
第一项法案——选举计票改革和总统过渡改进法案——将提高立法者对州选举人提出异议的门槛。根据现行法律，需要一名众议员和一名参议员提出反对意见。在他们的提议中，需要众议院和参议院五分之一的议员反对。
这项措施还将澄清副总统纯粹是部长级的角色，此前就彭斯是否有权单方面改变、拒绝或停止选举人票的计票进行了辩论。
“它明确无误地澄清了副总统……禁止干预选举人票，”曼钦说。
第二项法案将根据联邦法律对威胁或恐吓选举官员、投票站观察员、选民或候选人的个人的处罚增加一倍，从一年到两年。
今年初夏，前选举官员1月6日在委员会作证他们在2020年选举后面临的威胁。
来自佐治亚州的母女二人组鲁比·弗里曼(Ruby Freeman)和叶莎·莫斯(Andrew Moss)描述了成为特朗普在推特上发布的一条帖子的目标——特朗普在帖子中错误地指控他们走私几箱选票——如何颠覆了他们的生活和职业生涯。
两个女人都说她们不敢说出自己的名字，联邦调查局告诉弗里曼，由于受到威胁，她不得不离开家两个月。
“我哪儿也没去过，”她说。我已经增加了大约60磅。我只是不再无所事事了。我哪儿也不想去。都是因为谎言-为了我的工作，我一直在做的事情。"
参议院规则和管理委员会周三还听取了选举和治理研究专家小组对《选举计数法》拟议修改的意见。
纽约大学法学院的常驻学者鲍勃·鲍尔(Bob Bauer)表示，法律学者长期以来一直呼吁改革，曼钦和柯林斯提出的法案是“对现有法律的巨大改进”
Manchin, Collins cite Jan. 6 as they push reforms to 1887 Electoral Count Act
Senators Susan Collins and Joe Manchin joined forces Wednesday to propose changes to a19th century lawthat former President Donald Trump and his allies exploited to try to overturn his 2020electionloss.
Manchin, D-W.Va., and Collins, R-Maine, testified before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee about reforming the Electoral Count Act -- a vaguely worded 1887 law that governs the counting of each state's electoral votes for president.
The once obscure law became a focal point of Trump's scheme to remain in power as he pressured Republican lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject votes for Joe Biden from certain states during the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.
Nearly 150 Republicans maintained objections to electors from Arizona and Pennsylvania, even after the violence that broke out at the U.S. Capitol.
"We were all there on Jan. 6," Manchin said in his testimony. "That happened, that was for real. It was not a visit from friends back home. We have a duty and responsibility to make sure it never happens again."
Collins and Manchin introduced legislation in late July aimed at modernizing the law after months of negotiation with a group of 16 senators. On Wednesday, they urged colleagues to pass what they said are sensible and desperately needed reforms during this Congress.
"In four out of the past six presidential elections, the Electoral Count Act's process for counting electoral votes has been abused with frivolous objections being raised by members of both parties," Collins told the committee. "But it took the violent breach of the Capitol on Jan. 6 to really shine a spotlight on how urgent the need for reform was."
The first bill -- the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act -- would raise the threshold for lawmakers to raise objections to state electors. Under current law, one House member and one senator are needed to raise an objection. In their proposal, one-fifth of the House and the Senate would be needed to object.
That measure would also clarify the role of the vice president as purely ministerial, after debate over whether Pence had the authority to unilaterally change, reject or halt the counting of electoral votes.
"It unambiguously clarifies that the vice president … is prohibited from interfering with electoral votes," Manchin said.
The second bill would double the penalty under federal law for individuals who threaten or intimidate election officials, poll watchers, voters or candidates from one year to two years.
Earlier this summer, former election officialstestified before the Jan. 6 committeeon the threats they faced in the wake of the 2020 election.
Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, a mother-daughter duo from Georgia, described how being the target of a Twitter post from Trump -- in which he falsely alleged they were smuggling suitcases of ballots -- upended their lives and careers.
Both women said they're afraid to use their names, and Freeman was told by the FBI she had to leave her home for two months because of threats.
"I haven't been anywhere at all," she said. I've gained about 60 pounds. I just don't do nothing anymore. I don't want to go anywhere. All because of lies -- for me doing my job, same thing I've been doing forever."
The Senate Rules and Administration Committee on Wednesday also heard from a panel of experts on elections and governance studies on the proposed changes to the Electoral Count Act.
Bob Bauer, a scholar in residence at New York University School of Law, said legal scholars have long called for reform and that the bills offered by Manchin and Collins are a "vast improvement over existing law."
