There’s this: “The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof....” The Constitution, Article 1, Section 4. Hooray!

Then there’s this: “...but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.” The Constitution, Article 1, Section 4 continued. Oh.

Today Americans can feel relief and gladness. The Senate put to rest the “Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act.” Much has been written regarding all the bad ideas contained in this bill; a recent example of one such essay is here. Some Democrats are already gearing up to continue the fight for its passage.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams may have just thrown those plans into disarray. In fact, though not the first location to allow noncitizens to participate in voting, his notoriety as the mayor of America’s largest city has brought the issue to the fore. Maryland, Vermont, and California all have jurisdictions in which some form of noncitizen voting is permitted. It’s being seriously considered in others. Mayor Adams recently approved it for NYC.

Now is the time for conservatives to take a good hard look at federalizing elections, from an America First perspective, and not with just a knee-jerk no reaction.

We are front and center stage of the biggest technological revolution this world has seen. Cyber-security has never been stronger, though our adversaries are constantly on the attack. Cloud computing provides nearly unlimited processing and storage of data. Only children, and not all of them, are without some form of plasticized, chipped, secured, or enhanced card or US passport.

Buying groceries during the pandemic, when nearly every place in town stopped taking cash, required a plastic credit, debit, or EBT card. How were those cards acquired? By showing a government-issued identification card. Almost everyone over 65 has a Medicare card. How did they get them? By showing a government-issued identification card. What other information is commonly required for the issuance of such pieces of plastic? A valid full name, date, place of birth, and social security number.

So, if we federalize elections, our single goal is to ensure the validity of votes for federal elective office. When We The People speak it is we the eligible people: American citizens who are residents of our voting jurisdiction and who have taken the time to register to vote.

Image: Voting by freepik.

Steps to take in federalizing elections should include:

Federally funded PSAs reminding folks to register to vote at least 15 days before a federal election. Then. closing registrations 14 days before the election so state electoral offices have adequate time to process voting rolls for polling places and to send out absentee ballots. Along with this, not conducting any naturalization ceremonies within 20 days of a federal election to ensure that new citizens have time to register to vote and are not disenfranchised.

All voter registrations must be in person and the process must securely capture commonly required data in the registration. New voter registrations also should capture clear images of the original, certified, government-issued documents used to prove citizenship and legal residence. All current voters could be given ten years to update their registrations with their documents. Congress can help fund the needed equipment if it is not already on hand.

Build in automatic search features based on common data and addresses, so that duplicates, frauds, and inadvertent registrant or registrar errors are caught immediately rather than being subject to hit-or-miss auditing after the fact.

Given the Democrat city’s trend to allow non-citizens to vote in municipal elections, require states to fund separate polling places for those who are not citizens so that there is no chance that noncitizen votes will be cast in federal elections.

Abolish automatic voter registration, including motor-voter registration, when acquiring a driver’s license. Voting is a deliberative act and registering to vote must be just as serious.

Enforce annual purging of voter rolls using locally available data, as well as Social Security death records and USPS changes of address notification. Require notification to and purging of voter rolls for those who have not voted in ten years.

Limit absentee voting in federal elections to those legitimately abroad, working temporarily out of state like the military, or away at school where they pay out-of-state tuition. No ballot harvesting allowed. Encourage volunteer groups to assist those in need to access polling places. Encourage states to allow the disabled a separate line to vote.

Limit early voting at polling places to a maximum of two weeks before the election and have this early voting end two days before Election Day. Allow Election Day to be a holiday only in states with no early voting. Electronically capture the original ID used when voting in person and compare it to the voting registration record. Strengthen regulations regarding handling, securing, and transporting ballot boxes, voting machines, and ballots.

Require voting machines and their components to have been manufactured and assembled in the United States. Prohibit any voting machine data from being accessed from or transmitted to or through a point outside of the United States.

Require sufficient polling places, each staffed and closely observed by bi-partisan staff, so that voters are not discouraged from voting by extensively long wait times. Require all staff to remain on site until all votes are counted and certified. Counting in federal elections may not be interrupted before completion, with sufficient staff to accommodate meal and bathroom breaks.

Prohibit the use of drop boxes. Prohibit states from mailing absentee ballots to addresses within the United States fewer than 15 days before an election to ensure they can be completed and returned or, at minimum, postmarked before the end of polling place voting. Require overseas ballot returns to be postmarked or received and stamped at a US Embassy or Consulate no later than voting day. Require a copy of a photo ID to accompany an absentee ballot. Absentee ballots, IDs, and envelopes should be electronically captured when opened.

Such a bill does not need to be cluttered with election funding and other extraneous issues.

Calling on all Senators and Representatives who love their country and want to see her continue to be proud, strong, and free. It may well be the moment to further federalize federal elections to ensure their integrity. These are new times and require new ways though, perhaps, not what has been most recently contemplated by the left.

Anony Mee is the nom de blog of a retired public servant who was elected precinct committeeman at the age of 18 the year that 18-year-olds got the vote, and served as a judge of elections that same year.