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WASHINGTON — Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-06) has introduced the Defend Elections from Trump Act, which would prohibit the use of federal funds to deploy federal law enforcement, intelligence personnel, or the military to polling locations without explicit authorization from Congress.
“The introduction of this bill comes in response to Donald Trump’s recent calls for the federalization of elections, a proposal that would undermine the long-standing authority of state and local officials to administer free and fair elections,” a statement from Moulton said.
Calling “election security is vitally important,” Moulton said, “Donald Trump wants to undermine democracy itself. Voters must be able to cast their ballots without intimidation, without threats, and without armed federal personnel standing over their shoulders. That’s not how democracy should work.”
The Defend Elections from Trump Act (embedded below) would preserve Congress’s constitutional authority by requiring specific statutory authorization for any such federal presence at domestic election locations.
“In doing so, the bill would protect voters’ right to cast a ballot free from intimidation or coercion,” Moulton said.
He is, however, a Democrat in a House controlled 218-213 by Republicans. There are four vacant seats that have to be filled by special elections.
Moulton is relinquishing his House seat to take on Sen. Ed Markey in the Democratic primary to become a Massachusetts Senator.
