Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.
The Republican chairman of the House committee that oversees federal elections introduced legislation on Thursday that one analyst characterized as possibly 'the most dangerous attack on voting rights ever' put forth in the US Congress.
Led by Rep. Bryan Steil , chair of the House Administration Committee, the Make Elections Great Again Act would ban ranked-choice voting and universal mail-in ballots in federal elections, prohibit states from accepting mailed ballots that arrive after Election Day, enable large-scale voter purges, and institute photo ID requirements.The bill was endorsed by right-wing organizations including the Election Integrity Network, an organization that—in the words of the New York Times—'has done more than any other group to take falsehoods about corruption in the democratic system and turn them into action.' The Election Integrity Network has received funding from Citizens for Renewing America, a group founded by White House budget director and Project 2025 architect Russell Vought.Tiffany Muller, president of the End Citizens United Action Fund, said in a statement Thursday that the MEGA Act 'is a dangerous anti-voter bill and the latest escalation of the same conspiracy-driven agenda that has nothing to do with protecting our elections and everything to do with clinging to power.''There is not a shred of evidence of widespread voter fraud in the United States. Courts, audits, and election officials from both parties have repeatedly proved that,' said Muller. 'Yet House Republicans, in their never-ending quest to stay in power, have once again chosen lies over facts to justify making it harder for eligible Americans to vote.'“When you steal from the working class, impose policies that strictly benefit billionaire donors, and know voters are about to hold you accountable in the midterms, you try to change the rules of the game,' Muller added. 'That’s the Republican playbook, and this bill is the proof. Make no mistake, this egregious power grab is about suppressing turnout, silencing voters, and ensuring minority rule.'While the bill is unlikely to get through the Senate due to Democratic opposition, it represents an ominous look at the GOP's vision for election administration ahead of the pivotal November midterms.Yunior Rivas of Democracy Docket noted Thursday that the legislation would go further than the SAVE Act, a bill House Republicans passed last year that one historian characterized as “the most extraordinary attack on voting rights in American history.” One advocate described the SAVE Act, which some Republicans are looking to revive, as a 'modern-day poll tax.''Taken together, the MEGA Act is a catastrophic proposal for democracy in the United States,' Rivas wrote. 'Voting would move from a fundamental right to a permission-based system—one where voters must repeatedly prove their eligibility, navigate bureaucratic obstacles, and hope they are not wrongly flagged by a single database.'In a statement, Sen. Alex Padilla warned that the MEGA Act shows Republicans are 'desperately trying to rig the rules for future elections because they know they cannot win on their unpopular agenda, which is raising costs for working families.'Rep. Joe Morelle , the ranking member of the House Administration Committee, said the MEGA Act is further evidence that 'Trump and House Republicans are terrified of the American people.''They are desperate to rig the system so they can choose their voters,' said Morelle. 'This bill is their latest attempt to block millions of Americans from exercising their right to vote. I will fight this bill at every turn.'The MEGA Act was introduced amid growing fears that Trump is laying the groundwork to subvert the 2026 midterms. On Thursday, a group of Senate Democrats led by Padilla raised alarm over Justice Department efforts to seize sensitive data and purge voter rolls in states across the country.'While most states are resisting this illegal voter roll grab, we are gravely concerned by the amount of sensitive data the department has already amassed on millions of American voters,' the senators wrote. 'The department has failed to provide Congress, or the public, any information on how it is maintaining this vast amount of data, the guardrails in place to protect state voter information, how the data is to be used, or who in the federal government has access to this sensitive data.'
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