HR-1: The Death of Democracy Act

The 2020 election was a disaster by almost any standard.

Whether you supported Donald Trump or Joe Biden, the uncertainty and confusion following the presidential race threatened the stability of our system of government. Now, with the passage of H.R. 1, Democrats in Congress are hoping to make 2020 the status quo.

It’s not hyperbole to say that the bill represents a complete federal takeover of the state election process and a usurpation of the states’ most basic constitutional responsibilities. In fact, the better title for H.R. 1 should be the "Death of Democracy Act."

If you cut through the jargon and legalese, the Death of Democracy Act would mandate mail-in balloting in all states, strip voter ID laws in 35 states, remove the ability for states to manage their own voting rolls, and register non-citizens to vote.

Not stopping there, the bill would create a commission of unelected federal officials called the "Commission to Protect Democrat Institutions." If that title reminds you of old-fashioned Communist speak you’d be right, the commission will have the power require judges to testify regarding the rulings they issue.

As the Heritage Foundation concluded, this commission "would be given the authority to compel judges to testify and justify their legal decisions, threatening their independent judgement and subjecting them to political pressure and harassment."

And speaking of intimidation and harassment, the favorite tools of persuasion for the Left, the bill would also force some non-profits to publish the identities of their donors, subjecting private citizens to the machinations of Cancel Culture and the blacklisting mob.

Reading the details of H.R. 1 one thing is quite obvious: D.C. has grown tired of having to respect the rights of state and local governments. Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are moving to make the states nothing more than extensions of the federal government, existing solely to enforce the rulings of the D.C. insiders and bureaucrats.

At least they aren’t hiding the ball anymore.

The Death of Democracy Act is a blatant attempt to fully consolidate power at the federal level, and they’re telling us loud and clear that they view the states and the people as pawns in their political schemes.

In a time of aggressive overreach from D.C., the states and the people must respond with equal force.

First, we must push back using our most powerful tool provided us in the Constitution: An Article V Convention of States.

The Founding Fathers foresaw a consolidation of power at the federal level, and they included in Article V a mechanism to stop it. A Convention of States is called and controlled by the states and has the power to propose constitutional amendments to rein in the federal government’s usurpation of state freedom and sovereignty. These amendments can limit federal power to a narrow set of topics.

Secondly, even before a convention of states convenes it's imperative that states respond to an overtly aggressive Biden administration with equally aggressive measures.

States forgoing mask mandates and lockdowns is a good start, as well as the states that are passing legislation overriding executive orders and protecting their citizens’ First and Second Amendment rights.

In February, for example, the Missouri House passed a measure prohibiting state and local law enforcement from enforcing any unconstitutional federal gun laws.

And just this week, 12 states filed suit against Biden’s climate change executive order by arguing it would cause severe economic harm in their states—not to mention the fact that it’s unconstitutional.

As the lawsuit rightly points out, this executive order, "will destroy jobs, stifle energy production, strangle America’s energy independence, suppress agriculture, deter innovation, and impoverish working families. It undermines the sovereignty of the States and tears at the fabric of liberty."

Ultimately, we as Americans have a simple choice to make: Do we want decisions made at the state and local level, where we know the politicians and they live in our neighborhoods and communities? Or do we want to be ruled by D.C. insiders and federal bureaucrats who hold average Americans in contempt and have rigged the system to eliminate accountability?

If we choose the former, then now is the time to act and get involved. That starts by demanding our local and state leaders use every tool available to them to resist the federal takeover of our states. Then we must educate and encourage our representatives in state legislatures to use the power and authority given to them by our Constitution in Article V.

If our local officials fail to use this power, our children and grandchildren will be left to suffer under a faraway centralized government. State and local governments will be swallowed up by a federal bureaucracy intent on consolidating power into the hands of a powerful minority that despises our freedoms and the principles that have made our nation great.

We can avoid this future, but we must come together, take a stand against D.C.’s overreach, call the first-ever Article V Convention of States and restore the proper balance of power in our Republic. 

Mark Meckler is a constitutional activist who co-founded several grassroots organizations including Convention of States Action, Citizens for Self-Governance, and Tea Party Patriots. After many years in California, he, his wife Patty, and their two Great Danes now enjoy life in Texas. They have two adult children. Read Mark Meckler's Reports - More Here.