Should Congress Reform the Electoral Count Act?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
In the weeks leading up to the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, many in Congress and the media discussed reforms to the Electoral Count Act of 1887.
On Wednesday, Politico (Lean Left) reported that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was open to “discussing” reforms to the law, which regulates when and how electoral college votes are counted and certified. Furthermore, Senate Minority Whip John Thune told Axios (Center) that there was “some interest” in reform among Republicans. At issue is the law’s language, which has been described as “unintelligible,” “ambiguous” and “convoluted.” In December, The New York Times (Lean Left) quoted Reps. Adam Schiff and Liz Cheney, who said the House Jan. 6 Committee would recommend reforms to the law. The Electoral Count Act was passed in 1887 in response to electoral disputes during the 1876 presidential election.
Most voices across the spectrum seemed to agree that reforming the Electoral Count Act was a good idea. One writer in Politico said reforms might not matter because “a future Congress might simply ignore them.” Some voices described reforms as “Trump-proofing” the next election.
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