Representative Gus Bilirakis and Ranking Member Rodney Davis Hold Discussion with Local Leaders on Election Integrity

New Port Richey, FL: Earlier today Congressman Bilirakis had the pleasure of hosting the Ranking Member of the House Administration Committee, Mr. Rodney Davis, to discuss the paramount issue of election integrity and the work Republicans on the Committee are doing to strengthen confidence in the sanctity of elections throughout the country as part of the Faith in Elections Project and with filing of the American Confidence in Elections (ACE Act).

"The integrity of our elections process is vital to the foundation of our society," said Congressman Gus Bilirakis. "I'm thankful for the tireless efforts of Ranking Member Davis, as part of a nationwide effort to educate, engage, and reform as needed. Florida has a unique electoral history. I served in the Florida Legislature during the 2000 election when we were the laughingstock of the nation because of our hanging and dimpled chads. We have come a VERY long way in the last 22 years which saw common sense and effective measures put into place to ensure that every legitimate vote is counted, and every illegitimate vote is invalidated. In his 2021 State of the State Address to the Legislature, Governor DeSantis asked members of the Legislature to take a moment to enjoy the fact that Florida ran perhaps the most transparent and efficient election in the nation in 2020. People throughout the country were asking why other states could not be more like Florida. As someone who had a front row seat to the election debacle in 2000, I can assure you that such a sentiment was unthinkable twenty years ago."

During 2020, in what was one of the most divisive election seasons of our nation's history, many Americans felt alienated by multiple reports of irregularities and what some felt were unconstitutional changes to various states' mail-in voting procedures. Congressman Bilirakis consistently called for and supported the thorough and timely investigation of all claims of unconstitutional conduct. The bedrock of our Republic is the integrity of our electoral process - this is not a partisan principle. There was a confluence of circumstances, such as unprecedented COVID restrictions at polling places and Big Tech and media suppression of newsworthy information that could have had an undue influence on the electorate, the extent of which is unclear.As far back as 2005, the bipartisan Carter-Baker Commission report on federal elections concluded, among other findings, two very obvious points: each voter must present photo identification when voting and universal mail-in balloting and/or ballot harvesting operations must be stopped.

"One thing is clear, Bilirakis added, "if the American electorate does not have confidence that elections are free and fair, it undermines our Republic. Through my work on the Election Integrity Congressional Caucus, I have sought to strengthen that confidence. We have an obligation to understand what transpired during the 2020 election and implement mechanisms to ensure it never happens again. I do believe Florida is truly a role model when it comes to achieving this goal, and I look forward to providing a framework for other states seeking improvement.

That is where the ACE Act comes into play. The bill is focused on three main pillars: providing states with tools to implement election integrity measures/removing federal impediments, exercising Congress' responsibility to implement election integrity measures in D.C., and protecting free speech. Learn more about the ACE Act here.

"The American Confidence in Elections Act gives states the tools to run free, fair and secure elections, implements model state election integrity best practices in DC, and makes the biggest legislative effort in a generation to protect political free speech," said Ranking Member Rodney Davis. "I thank Congressman Bilirakis for hosting today's roundtable to discuss the importance of election integrity and how the ACE Act complements efforts made by states like Florida to restore faith in elections."