What is it and why does it matter?
More appropriately, the For the People Act should be renamed For the Politicians Act. HR1 would have profoundly negative implications for the Constitution, free speech, and how states run elections.
The text of HR1 states that ultimately the “Constitution should be amended” to rein in First Amendment freedoms
HR1 would impose a number of mandates on states, dictating how they must run elections. This attempt to federalize elections is an undeniable attempt by congressional Democrats to, among other things, influence elections, voter qualifications, and redistricting.
Although there are several provisions of H.R. 1 that are troubling, the most concerning provisions come in Division B, Title IV, Subtitles B and C. These two provisions are specifically designed to steamroll the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC (2010) to stifle speech protected by the First Amendment.
Subtitle B is known as the DISCLOSE ACT. This is a thinly veiled attempt to reveal the names of donors to 501(c)(4) organizations. In an era where the “cancel culture” mob has become the norm; it is not at all difficult to see what the impact of the Disclose Act will be.
This bill would further deter free expression by forcing groups that sponsor ads that promote, attack, support, or oppose a candidate or government official to file burdensome reports with the FEC. Congressional Democrats are trying to make it less worthwhile for groups in America to hold their elected officials accountable, and thus trying to insulate themselves from criticism.
Subtitle C is the HONEST ADS ACT. This Act would require digital platforms to maintain, and make publicly available, a database of any request to purchase a “qualified political advertisement” that exceeds $500. The federal government would be forcing digital companies to reveal, advertisers on a massive scale. This would open almost all political advertisers to widespread intimidation.
Not only will the Honest Ads Act allow for political threats and intimidation, but it will make it much easier for such threats to be direct. The public file will also include information about the audience for such advertisements, catching an even larger swath of American citizens in this web. We have seen public officials harassed at their homes and seen death threats made against the families of political appointees.
“We the people. Those words gave power and protection to the people, not the government. Freedom to think, to speak out, to act, and to criticize your government. Bidens vision of a democracy is a status quo preserving machine where those in power get a monopoly on political speech, while the people are nothing more than spectators. Since when are the people outside our democracy?
Democratic officials think the people’s right to be heard in a democracy should begin and end on the day you vote. Maybe that is why they are always sure to let you know they intend to make voting easier not harder. Basically, they are telling you, “Here’s your democracy, now shut up.”
A group of over 100 conservative leaders and organizations, has released a letter analyzing the unconstitutional and deleterious effects on political participation of H.R. 1 and called it the Democrats’ bill to silence and intimidate conservatives.
I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to vote NO on the For the People Act, H.R. 1
Willian Salser,
Stuart
