[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 147 (Wednesday, September 5, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H7848-H7850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GLOBAL ELECTORAL EXCHANGE ACT
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 5274) to promote international exchanges on best
election practices, cultivate more secure democratic institutions
around the world, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5274
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Global Electoral Exchange
Act''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) recent elections globally have illustrated the urgent
need for the promotion and exchange of international best
election practices, particularly in the areas of
cybersecurity, results transmission, transparency of
electoral data, election dispute resolution, and the
elimination of discriminatory registration practices and
other electoral irregularities;
(2) the advancement of democracy worldwide promotes
American interests, as stable democracies provide new market
opportunities, improve global health outcomes, and promote
economic freedom and regional security;
(3) credible elections are the cornerstone of a healthy
democracy and enable all persons to exercise their basic
human right to have a say in how they are governed;
(4) inclusive elections strengthen the credibility and
stability of democracies more broadly, as democratic
institutions flourish when representative of all groups of
society;
(5) at the heart of a strong election cycle is the
professionalism of the election management body and an
empowered civil society; and
(6) the development of local expertise via peer-to-peer
learning and exchanges promotes the independence of such
bodies from internal and external influence.
SEC. 3. GLOBAL ELECTORAL EXCHANGE.
(a) Global Electoral Exchange.--The Secretary of State is
authorized to establish and administer a Global Electoral
Exchange Program to promote the utilization of sound election
administration practices around the world.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Global Electoral Exchange
Program described in subsection (a) shall include the
promotion and exchange of international best election
practices, including in the areas of--
(1) cybersecurity;
(2) results transmission;
(3) transparency of electoral data;
(4) election dispute resolution;
(5) the elimination of discriminatory registration
practices and electoral irregularities;
(6) equitable access to polling places, voter education
information, and voting mechanisms (including by persons with
disabilities); and
(7) other sound election administration practices.
(c) Exchange of Electoral Authorities.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of State may, in
consultation, as appropriate, with the United States Agency
for International Development, make grants to any United
States-based organization described in section 501(c)(3) of
the Internal Revenue Code of
[[Page H7849]]
1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such Code
with experience in comparative election systems or subject
matter expertise in the areas of election administration or
electoral integrity that submits an application in such form,
and satisfying such requirements, as the Secretary may
require.
(2) Types of grants.--An organization described in
paragraph (1) may receive a grant for one or more of the
following purposes:
(A) To design and implement programs bringing election
administrators and officials, including government officials,
poll workers, civil society representatives, members of the
judiciary, and others who participate in the organization and
administration of public elections in a foreign country to
the United States to study election procedures in the United
States for educational purposes.
(B) To design and implement programs taking United States
or another country's election administrators and officials,
including government officials, poll workers, civil society
representatives, members of the judiciary, and others who
participate in the organization and administration of public
elections to study election procedures for educational
purposes.
(3) Limits on activities.--Activities administered under
the Global Electoral Exchange Program may not--
(A) include observation of an election for the purposes of
assessing the validity or legitimacy of that election; or
(B) facilitate any advocacy for a certain electoral result
by a grantee when participating in the Program.
(4) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Secretary of State should establish and maintain a
network of Global Electoral Exchange Program alumni, to
promote communication and further exchange of information
regarding sound election administration practices among
current and former program participants.
(5) Further limits.--A recipient of a grant under the
Global Electoral Exchange Program may use such grant for only
the purpose for which such grant was awarded, unless
otherwise authorized by the Secretary of State.
(6) Not duplicative.--Grants made under this subsection may
not be duplicative of any other grants made under any other
provision of law for similar or related purposes.
SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT.
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of
this Act and in each of the following two years thereafter,
the Secretary of State shall provide to the Committee on
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a briefing on
the status of any activities carried out pursuant to this Act
during the preceding year, which shall include, among other
information, the following:
(1) A summary of all exchanges conducted under the Global
Electoral Exchange Program, including information regarding
grantees, participants, and the locations where program
activities were held.
(2) A description of the criteria used to select grantees
under the Global Electoral Exchange Program.
(3) Any recommendations for the improvement of the Global
Electoral Exchange Program, based on the purpose specified in
section 3(b).
SEC. 5. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.
No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out the requirements of this Act. Such requirements
shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized to be
appropriated.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Members may have
5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include
any extraneous material in the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, America is more secure when fewer nations are
authoritarian, and that is the unfortunate alternative to democracy,
are authoritarian strongmen. These strongmen regimes justify their
repression at home by creating enemies abroad.
Since the freedom we enjoy is a threat to authoritarian regimes, the
U.S. and our allies are natural targets for their aggression. We have
seen this, unfortunately, with Moscow, with Beijing, and with the
regime in North Korea. This is why there is longstanding, bipartisan
support in this Congress for our democracy promotion programs overseas.
In recent years, however, we have seen democracy decline worldwide.
This is fueled, in many cases, by a decreasing level of public
confidence in democracy and in elections. Unfortunately, many people
around the world just cannot trust that their elections are free and
fair, and we have seen this happen in Honduras, in Cambodia, and in the
DRC.
The bill before us addresses these issues by crafting an
international exchange program with an objective, and that is, of
promoting capabilities and instilling best election practices around
this planet. This two-way exchange program will support countries in
between their election cycles when they have the time to assess
shortcomings. And then it will help them during elections to integrate
lessons learned, to build coalitions, and to implement reforms.
Healthy societies depend on elections that accurately reflect the
decision of voters. The world has a shared stake in the integrity of
the election mechanisms--these are the nuts and bolts of how people
cast their votes and how these votes are counted, and how they have
done this free from manipulation.
I want to close by noting that this is a very real-time concern, and
particularly important in the Western Hemisphere, as there are national
elections coming up this fall in Brazil, and next year in Bolivia and
El Salvador. So I urge my colleagues to support this measure.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in support of the bipartisan Global Electoral Exchange Act,
H.R. 5274, which I introduced with my colleague, my Republican
colleague, Mark Meadows, and also others, including my colleague from
Texas, Ted Poe.
I would like to first thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel
for their support on this legislation and helping bring it to the
floor.
It is important to note the bipartisanship of this legislation
because strengthening democracies abroad is a critical national
interest and one that can be supported by both sides of the aisle.
In recent years, democracies have been reeling across the world, even
in our own neighborhood. This is a reversal of a longstanding trend
toward democratization that continued through the end of the Cold War
in the 1990s.
In countries around the world, there are partners willing to work
with us to strengthen their country's democracy. This is naturally in
our bipartisan interests.
Our strongest relationships are those with other democracies. Some
examples include Canada, Mexico, Japan, India, Australia, and the
member nations of the European Union. When two countries speak the
language of democracy, when they each commit to the rule of law and the
will of the people, the potential for a genuine partnership is formed.
An election is a complex endeavor. It is an exercise a society
undertakes together. To run effectively and efficiently, an election
requires an engaged public, robust institutions, and a transparent,
technically sound electoral mechanism.
There are certain practices we ascribe to effective election systems,
including a secret ballot, inclusive voting systems, chain of custody,
neutral instructions to voters, and so much more of what may be
considered good electoral practices.
When elections are technically unsound, their results can be suspect.
We saw this firsthand in Kenya and Honduras over the last year, where
electoral failure led to election violence and a questionable outcome
for many.
It is in the interests of both the incumbent looking to be re-elected
with the legitimacy that an election brings, and the challenger seeking
to rise to office, to support transparent election practices.
The State Department and USAID already engage in excellent work, in
partnership with groups like the National Endowment for Democracy,
National Democratic Institute, International Republican Institute, and
International Foundation for Electoral Systems, supporting democracy
worldwide.
This bipartisan bill augments those efforts, allowing the Secretary
of State
[[Page H7850]]
to support exchange programs with other countries to promote best
practices in election administration.
When we bring folks over here to show them how we do things and send
Americans to other nations to see how elections are conducted overseas,
we can have candid conversations on how all of us can improve.
I would like to thank, again, Congressman Meadows for working with me
on this bipartisan bill, and for all of his insight in making this bill
and this legislation more effective.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I would like to thank the authors of the bill. I would like to thank
Representative Castro and Representative Meadows. I would like to thank
also our ranking member, Mr. Engel. They put a lot of work in on this
important legislation.
There has long been a strong bipartisan consensus in Congress on the
importance of promoting democracy overseas, and this is because America
is undeniably more secure when fewer nations are authoritarian.
But democracy promotion is not just about that. It is not just about
our security. It is also morally just. Human rights are far better
protected in democratic countries, ones without dank prison cells full
of political prisoners.
Elections are an important part of democracy, but all too often,
elections overseas are plagued, often by corruption or technical
challenges, sometimes by lack of transparency. And this bill will
address these impediments by creating an electoral exchange program so
that we can take our best practices and lessons learned overseas to
help local governments improve their own election capacity.
So I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rogers of Kentucky). The question is on
the motion offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that
the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5274, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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