U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) on Jan. 24 sponsored a bill that would amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prohibit a state from receiving or using funds or certain donations from private entities to administer an election for federal office.
“As Americans, voting is not only our civic duty granted by the Founding Fathers, but also our power. It allows us to voice our opinion, serves as a tool for change, and shapes our great nation,” Rep. Cole said. “Yet, after the issues we saw in the 2020 presidential election, confidence in our election systems has decreased significantly.”
During the 2020 election, the congressman said that election administration in the United States was politically influenced because of multi-millions in private spending by private individuals with political agendas.
Specifically, he said, the funds were targeted in Democratic counties to increase turnout in areas that would be beneficial to Democratic candidates.
Six Republicans joined Rep. Cole to introduce the Protect American Election Administration Act of 2025, H.R. 723, which seeks to stop the private takeover of the government election administration, protect voting laws in each state, prevent private funding for ballot harvesting or curing, and end the use of election infrastructure to conduct ideologically motivated voter outreach campaigns, according to a bill summary provided by staff.
“The Protect American Election Administration Act of 2025 would help to repair this broken trust,” said the lawmaker. “We must ensure that Americans have the confidence that their vote truly counts, as our election systems are truly the bedrock of our republic.”