With fewer than four weeks until Election Day, House Democrats say the stakes are far greater than political power.
“We’re at a real turning point and inflection point in this country, but it’s up to us, each of us, to secure American democracy,” Rochester Rep. Joe Morelle said.
Morelle made the weighty claim during an election security hearing Wednesday in Queens.
As the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, Morelle has held 16 similar hearings across the country in recent months — spearheading House Democrats’ efforts to push back against President Donald Trump’s proposed election reforms.
The president has long claimed, without evidence, that voter fraud is rampant — necessitating election reform.
“The system we have today falls catastrophically short,” he stressed during a July address to the nation.
The White House says the president’s efforts are common sense, while Democrats argue they are designed to disenfranchise voters and erode confidence in the American electoral system.
“The only threat to the integrity of our elections, the only threat to our democracy, is Donald Trump himself,” Queens Rep. Gregory Meeks said.
During the Wednesday hearing Democratic members of Congress and local activists, including attorneys, talked through a number of what they say are ongoing and potential disruptions to the midterms — including the Trump administration’s attempt to restrict mail in voting, which was derailed by the Supreme Court.
They also warned of the possibility that armed federal officers might be deployed to the polls.
“The threats to our democracy are real, but our election system is overwhelmingly safe and secure,” said John Cusick of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.