Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1- the For the People Act. Lucas opposed the legislation.

“Last week, the House passed a deeply misguided and costly stimulus bill sold to the American people as desperately needed public health funding- yet Republicans and even a few moderate Democrats alike argued it was unnecessary and poorly targeted. Tonight, House Democrats continued their hasty “my way or the highway approach” and passed yet another misguided piece of legislation, weakening our election security, redirecting hard-earned taxpayer dollars to fund political campaigns, and federalizing state and local elections.

“Even more concerning, in the rush to send H.R. 1 to the Senate, Democrats ignored feedback provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology which would have provided critical assistance in our communities’ continued efforts to conduct safe, secure, and accessible elections. 

“I take great pride in sharing the successes of Oklahoma’s secure and accessible elections. While some states are clearly more successful than others, H.R. 1 would surely disrupt and infringe upon the role states play in conducting their elections. I strongly support encouraging Americans to exercise their right to vote and ensuring access is not denied to voters, but H.R. 1 does nothing but perpetuate House Democrats’ efforts to pass hurried, misguided, partisan bills under the guise of being for the American people.”

In a letter to the Oklahoma Delegation, Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax warned that H.R. 1 would, “supersede most of Oklahoma’s election administration and election integrity laws, making our elections less secure, more complicated to administer, and much more expensive to conduct.”

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