GOP calls for higher scrutiny in election systems

Calls for greater scrutiny in the integrity of elections have been underlying themes in the 2016 and now the 2020 presidential elections. With Democrats making claims of Russian interference four years ago at the outset of Trump’s presidency and the president’s supporters now claiming widespread voter fraud in 2020, Congressman Dan Crenshaw has had enough.

In a series of five tweets, the Texan congressman said that there should be sufficiently protective safeguards surrounding the American voting system that its results should go unquestioned.

“The integrity of elections must be self-evident, an airtight process that withstands scrutiny, where no one can plausibly question results,” Crenshaw said.

The congressman listed off a number of practical measures that could be implemented: Voter-ID, a universal registration system, and limiting mail-in ballots, Crenshaw argued, would lead to more secure elections.

In a similar vein, Senator Rick Scott of Florida proposed legislation that would also implement higher scrutiny to mail-in voting in future election. The senator has sponsored a bill called the “Verifiable, Orderly, Timely, Election Results” or “VOTER” Act. The Florida Senator and called for major reforms in a tweet he made last week, citing a need to regain voter confidence in the election system.

Scott’s bill centers around procedures that would help prevent mail-in errors such as missing signatures or incomplete forms. Some of his proposals include requiring mail-in ballots to be mailed 21 days ahead of the election, requesting that mail in ballots be returned by the time polls close, and requiring the counting of all ballots within a 24-hour period.

With a critical runoff election in Georgia scheduled to take place in the first week of January, GOP onlookers worry that the same concerns that plagued the November 3 election will make a reappearance next month.

Paul Sperry, a fellow at the Hoover Media Institution, is one of those questioning the integrity of its outcomes, citing a lack of confidence in election drop-boxes used to collect and count mail-in ballots.

It’s this kind of uncertainty Crenshaw and Scott are hoping to eliminate through their proposals.