On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the For the People Act (H.R. 1), a historic package of voting rights, ethics and campaign finance reforms that will crack down on political corruption, reduce big money in politics and protect the sacred right to vote — for all Americans.
Not surprisingly, Republicans and right-wing media outlets are lying about H.R. 1.
But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what the fact checkers have to say.
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CNN: Fact check: Pence echoes Trump’s Big Lie in dishonest op-ed on election rules
Fox News: House Democrats’ H.R. 1 would create new public financing of congressional campaigns
“However, the legislation doesn’t authorize new general taxpayer dollars for the public financing of elections, but rather is limited to the new assessments applied to criminal and civil penalties on corporations and high-income tax scofflaws that are found guilty of a crime by the federal government.”
“Companies that have paid such settlements in the past include Facebook, Volkswagen and BP, according to a report from the Brennan Center for Justice.”
Newsweek: Will HR-1 Give Taxpayer Money to Federal Campaigns?
No: “According to the latest draft of HR-1, the Freedom from Influence Fund accumulates money from a 2.75 percent surcharge on criminal and civil penalties, as well as settlements from corporations, corporate officers and, to a much lesser extent, individual tax code violators in upper-income brackets.”
Politifact: Mike Pence is wrong that HR 1 forces states to shift to universal mail balloting
“On the same day, Pence raised multiple objections to the bill in a column that appeared in the Daily Signal, a publication of the conservative Heritage Foundation.”
“The one we will check here is that ‘the bill would force states to adopt universal mail-in ballots.’”
“That’s not what the bill would do. The bill’s focus is on lifting state restrictions on voters who voluntarily choose to cast their ballot by mail. Put simply, it merely requires states to give everyone access to voting by mail if they want to use it.”
Politifact: Trump misleads about HR 1 and voter registration for welfare recipients
“Trump’s statement is misleading. The Democrats’ bill to expand voting rights would require multiple government agencies to help eligible people register to vote when they apply for assistance, but it doesn’t single out applicants for programs associated with welfare. And Trump omits that public assistance agencies already play a role in helping people register to vote. H.R. 1 would expand that effort.”
FactCheck.org: Misinformation Follows House Approval of H.R. 1
“Q: Did House passage of H.R. 1 allow noncitizens to vote?”
“A: No. That bill would enact a host of changes to election laws, but it does not permit noncitizens to vote.”
Politifact: Fact-checking misleading attacks on HR 1, Democrats’ voting rights bill
“A Facebook post claims Democratic legislation is aimed at protecting the Washington establishment and is anti-American, but the post’s claims don’t add up.”
Politifact: Group makes bogus attack on HR 1 over congressional salaries
“But there’s no such provision in the bill, and Act for America did not reply to our requests for evidence. After we inquired about the claims, we noticed that the webpage no longer included the $600,000 figure.”
“Act for America calls itself the ‘nation’s premier national security grassroots organization.’ The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League say the group is anti-Muslim.”
Politifact: GOP lawmaker misleads about HR 1 and removal of ineligible voters
“H.R. 1 requires states to use ‘objective and reliable evidence’ to remove ineligible voters.”
“[Rep. Elise] Stefanik was referring to a section in H.R. 1 that bans people from corruptly interfering with another person from registering to vote. But nothing in this section prohibits election officials from removing ineligible people on the voter rolls.”
Cap Radio: Can You Handle The Truth: Fact-Checking Claims About Voting Rights Legislation H.R. 1
“Misleading attacks on the Democratic voting rights legislation H.R. 1 are surfacing on social media and elsewhere.”
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