[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 3, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       FOR THE PEOPLE ACT OF 2021

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. BILL POSEY

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 2, 2021

  Mr. POSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my strong 
opposition to H.R. 1 and my great disappointment that the Majority 
refused to allow my commonsense amendments to be offered to this bill. 
This bill was written behind closed doors and though Members of 
Congress offered over 180 amendments to improve this bill only 56 were 
allowed to be offered on the House floor. That is a travesty for 
Congress and the American people who want and deserve honest and 
transparent elections. This bill bans voter identification laws and 
mandates States implement mail-in voting both of which will lead to 
massive election fraud. Even European countries have rejected these 
failed policies due to fraud.
  While serving in the Florida Senate I was tasked with reforming 
Florida's election laws following the 2000 election and chaos that 
ensued. Having tackled election reform in the aftermath of an uncertain 
election, I know firsthand how important it is to restore confidence 
and eliminate existing grey areas that may lead to fraud or raise 
questions about fairness.
  Events surrounding the 2020 election raised questions from my 
constituents about the operation and certification of voting machines 
used throughout our state and the nation. Chief among those concerns 
was whether our voting machines are connected to the internet and 
vulnerable to manipulation through hacking. To answer these and other 
questions I contacted the U.S. Election Assistance Commission which 
certifies voting hardware and software for use in our elections.
  In her letter to me, the Inspector General of the U.S. Election 
Assistance Commission addressed this topic stating that the ``EAC 
believes Michigan may use modem transmission features in at least some 
of its Dominion voting systems.'' This is in direct conflict with 
assertions by the maker of the Dominion Voting System who stated, ``. . 
. Voting systems are by design meant to be used as closed systems that 
are not networked meaning they are not connected to the Internet.''
  To end the confusion on this issue and restore confidence in our 
system, I filed an amendment that would prohibit voting systems from 
being connected to the Internet; specifically, stating that no system 
or device upon which ballots are programmed or votes are cast or 
tabulated shall be connected to the Internet at any time. That would 
ensure the integrity of voting machines. Unfortunately, that amendment 
was not allowed to be debated and voted on.
  My second amendment would ensure that election machines are fully 
auditable--no longer would election officials and election equipment 
providers deny full audits of elections due to proprietary software or 
hardware. The American people have a right to a full audit of any 
election to ensure the full integrity of elections. There is no good 
reason to oppose this amendment but, again, it was not allowed to be 
debated and voted on.
  And, my third amendment would have prohibited the use of voting 
systems produced by a foreign entity. It would also require all 
components of the voting systems be manufactured and maintained in the 
United States. Why should the votes of the American people be subject 
to counting using foreign equipment that cannot be audited and that may 
be connected to the Internet? My amendments would ban all three of 
these things.
  By denying elected Members of Congress a vote on these amendments, 
Speaker Pelosi decided against providing full transparency and 
accountability in our federal elections. This partisan bill should be 
rejected.

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