In Washington, bipartisanship is often a rarity and at times, the political polarity is so intense it leads to confusion.
For instance, after the 2020 presidential election, there was mass uncertainty and ambiguity surrounding the results. This led our country to a partisan argument surrounding certain fundamentals of our electoral process. However, we can avoid this confusion in future elections by updating a critical piece of legislation: the Electoral Count Act (ECA).
The ECA contains a set of procedures determining how we count states’ votes after an election. However, the ECA is not completely clear on the roles Congress and the vice president have in these procedures, making it archaic and difficult to interpret. This vagueness is part of what caused the confusion and increased partisanship after the 2020 election and is not something Americans should want to repeat. Thankfully right now, there are bipartisan conversations happening in Washington to reform the ECA.
Additional efforts are underway to increase funding for the Election Assistance Commission, increase protection for election workers, and protect the integrity of our elections. I am proud that Senator Roy Blunt has been a part of these conversations and has approached the topic with his typical sense of level-headedness. We need Blunt to continue to be a part of these conversations in Washington that strive to update the ECA in a productive and bipartisan manner. Protecting our elections and the integrity of our electoral system is critical to protecting the American people.
Jay Van Luven is the owner and CEO of Van Luven Enterprises in Chesterfield.
