Lankford Will Introduce New Version Of Secure Elections Act
Senate lawmakers plan to introduce a revamped version of the Secure Elections Act, S.2593 (115), a bill intended to bolster protections at the polls against hackers that had broad bipartisan support until some Republicans decided against backing it late last month.
Sen. James Lankford, the bill's chief Republican sponsor, told POLITICO that the new bill will be unveiled after the Sept. 30 government funding deadline and will address lingering concerns about compelling more states to use paper-based election audits.
The measure has long been viewed as the best chance for Congress to show it's taking action to improve polling security amid ongoing reports that Moscow is continuing efforts to disrupt U.S. democratic institutions and the upcoming midterms.
But in August, a last-minute partisan feud over how far Washington should go to push more states to use paper-based audits — a safeguard election integrity advocates maintain would help ensure vote tallies weren't tampered with or altered — prevented the Senate Rules Committee from marking up the bill.
Some considered that development a fatal blow to the legislation, especially after reports surfaced that the White House opposed the measure.
However, Lankford said he and Minnesota's Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the ranking member on the Rules Committee and the bill's leading Democratic backer, have continued to meet with a colleagues, state officials and advocacy groups about the bill's language and how it could be interpreted in the future.
"As I like to say, we're now fighting over nouns and verbs and prepositions to try to figure exactly how things are working, to make sure it lines up with everyone," said Lankford, who serves on the Senate Intelligence and Homeland Security committees.
He also disputed the idea that the Trump administration objected to the bill. "I did not see the White House put their thumb on the scales," he told POLITICO, adding that an administration statement about the measure "might have been taken out of context."
The Oklahoma Republican said he was not daunted by recent comments from Rules Chairman Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) that the bill would not be a priority for the GOP this fall.
"The priority for the Senate is moving nominations, moving appropriations and the things that have an expiration on it," such as the FAA authorization bill, according to Lankford, who also sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee. "Everything else is we need to get it done as we can, work it in. ... I haven't heard an opposition of 'we will not move this.'"
However, due to the tight congressional calendar and the House likely to be out for most of October, Lankford conceded it's likely the bipartisan bill won't get to President Donald Trump's desk before Election Day.
"Nothing that we're working on now with the secure elections bill is needed for the 2018 election," he said. "All this is a long-term look, and it's trying to make sure that what we're doing now is maintained."
Lankford said DHS has been "very aggressive" on election security, boosting outreach and communication with states and that Congress approved $380 million earlier this year for states to boost their election cybersecurity.
He left open the possibility of reviving the legislation again, if necessary, in 2019.
"We're very close. Let's get it resolved. Let's get it done. Let's get it behind us," Lankford said.
