The history and possible reform of the Electoral Count Act

Published August 31, 2022 at 8:57 AM EDT

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, speaks during hearing on the fiscal year 2023 budget for the FBI in Washington, May 25, 2022. A bipartisan group of senators, including Collins, released proposed changes July 20, to the Electoral Count Act, the post-Civil War-era law for certifying presidential elections that came under intense scrutiny after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and Donald Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election.

A bipartisan group of Senators led by Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia has introduced legislation to fix the flaws in the Electoral Count Act of 1887 which Trump sought to exploit to overturn the 2020 election.

Coming up we are taking a look at that proposal and the history behind the Electoral Count Act.

Guests:

Ned Foley, Professor of Election and Constitutional Law, The Ohio State University
Alexander Keyssar, Matthew W. Stirling Jr. Professor of History and Social Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Daniel Weiner, senior director of the Brennan Center’s Elections & Government Program

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