Key Takeaways
- •The Committee on House Administration discussed the "Make Elections Great Again Act" (MEGA Act), proposing federal election reforms like photo ID and citizenship verification.
- •Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray testified that Wyoming successfully implemented voter ID and citizenship verification with low cost and increased voter confidence.
- •Rep. Steil (R-WI) pressed Witness Gray, who confirmed voter ID and citizenship verification were easy to implement and not costly in Wyoming.
- •Republicans supported the MEGA Act's reforms as common sense to restore trust, while Democrats criticized them as "voter suppression" and an unfunded federal takeover.
- •The hearing advanced discussion on the MEGA Act, with a related "SAVE America Act" scheduled for a House floor vote, indicating ongoing legislative efforts.
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Hearing Analysis
Overview
The Committee on House Administration held a full committee hearing on February 10, 2026, titled "Making Elections Great Again: How to Restore Trust and Integrity in Federal Elections." The primary focus of the hearing was the introduction and evaluation of the Make Elections Great Again Act (MEGA Act), a legislative package aimed at establishing federal baseline standards for election administration. Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI-1) convened the hearing to address what he characterized as a decline in voter confidence, citing concerns over non-citizen voting, ballot harvesting, and delayed election results.
Policy Proposals
The MEGA Act, as outlined by Chairman Steil, proposes several significant changes to federal election law. These include requiring photo identification to cast a ballot, mandating documentary proof of United States citizenship for voter registration, establishing a uniform deadline for ballots to be received by the end of Election Day, and requiring auditable paper trails. The bill also seeks to ban the private funding of election administration—often referred to as "Zuckbucks"—and prohibit the practice of sending unrequested mail-in ballots to registered voters.
Key Testimony
Republican members and supportive witnesses argued that these reforms are "common sense" measures that make it "easy to vote and hard to cheat." The Honorable Chuck Gray (Wyoming Secretary of State) provided testimony on Wyoming’s implementation of similar reforms, including a 2025 law requiring proof of citizenship. Secretary Gray testified that these measures were implemented seamlessly and at low cost, asserting that they increased public confidence without disenfranchising eligible voters. Similarly, Michigan State Representative Ann Bollin (R-MI) emphasized the need for federal baseline standards to ensure consistency across states, particularly regarding voter roll maintenance and the use of paper ballots with numbered stubs.
Overview
In contrast, Ranking Member Joseph Morelle (D-NY-25) and Democratic committee members characterized the MEGA Act as a "Trump elections takeover" and "voter suppression." Rep. Morelle argued that the bill represents an unconstitutional federalization of elections intended to benefit the Republican party. He raised concerns about the Trump administration’s influence on election policy, specifically mentioning Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Democrats contended that the bill would disenfranchise millions of Americans, particularly women who have changed their names, students, the elderly, and low-income voters who may lack easy access to birth certificates or passports.
Key Testimony
Witness Karen Brinson Bell, principal and co-founder of Advance Elections and former North Carolina election official, testified in opposition to the bill. She highlighted the significant administrative and financial burdens the MEGA Act would place on local jurisdictions. Brinson Bell noted that the bill contains no federal funding to help states implement the new mandates, which she estimated would cost hundreds of millions of dollars nationwide. She cited North Carolina’s experience with voter ID, noting it was a multi-million dollar endeavor that required years of litigation and extensive staff training.
A significant portion of the hearing involved disputes over the prevalence of voter fraud. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL-7) challenged Secretary Gray’s assertions by citing data from the Heritage Foundation, which showed only one documented case of voter fraud in Wyoming over the last 20 years and 19 cases in Michigan. Rep. Sewell argued that the MEGA Act seeks to solve a non-existent problem while creating real barriers to the ballot box. Conversely, Mr. T. Russ Nobile, a senior attorney at Judicial Watch, testified that public confidence is undermined by "dirty" voter registration lists and the practice of allowing ballots to arrive days after Election Day. He cited recent legal victories, including a Supreme Court ruling in favor of Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL-12) regarding the standing of candidates to challenge state election laws.
Overview
The hearing also touched on the impact of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in election oversight. Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK-5) and Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11) questioned the refusal of certain state officials, such as Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, to turn over voter roll data to the DOJ for compliance checks under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). Meanwhile, Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA-35) criticized recent federal actions, including an FBI raid on a local election office, as part of a broader effort to intimidate election workers and interfere with local administration.
The industry and sector impacts of the MEGA Act would be felt most acutely by state and local election offices, which would be required to overhaul registration systems, redesign ballot envelopes, and implement new verification technologies. Organizations mentioned during the proceedings included the Republican National Committee (RNC), the League of Women Voters, FairVote Action, and the National Association of Counties, the latter of which submitted a letter expressing concerns about the bill’s mandates.
Chairman Steil concluded the hearing by emphasizing that the MEGA Act is intended to provide a uniform standard that respects the federalist approach to elections while ensuring integrity. He noted that the hearing record would remain open for five legislative days for additional materials. While no specific timeline for a committee vote was established during the hearing, the discussion set the stage for a highly partisan floor debate on the MEGA Act and the related SAVE America Act.
Transcript
[Gavel sounds.] The Committee on House Administration will come to order. The title of today's hearing is "Making Elections Great Again: How to Restore Trust and Integrity in Federal Elections." I note that a quorum is present. Without objection, the chair may declare recess at any time. Also without objection, the hearing record will remain open for five legislative days so members may submit any materials they wish to be included therein. Thank you, Ranking Member Morelle, members of the committee, and our witnesses for participating in our hearing today. I'll now recognize myself for the purpose of making an opening statement. Article I, Section 4 of the United States Constitution grants the power to regulate the time, place, and manner of federal elections. However, the Constitution also gives Congress the power to make or alter those regulations at any time. Federal election law was last updated in 2009. In the years since, voter confidence has dropped. The Biden administration's failed immigration policy has resulted in over 10 million illegal aliens pouring into our country during that time period. Some states send every registered voter a ballot. 14 states don't require photo identification. This is why Congress must implement common sense election integrity reforms. This is why I've introduced the Make Elections Great Again Act, or the MEGA Act. Here's the top line: Elections should end on Election Day. You should need a photo identification to cast a ballot. You must be a citizen of the United States of America to vote in a federal election. We need auditable paper ballots, and we shouldn't be sending ballots to people that don't request them. These reforms alone will improve voter confidence, strengthen election integrity, and continue to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. But this is a product of years of work and collaboration. We've sought feedback from state and local election officials. We continue that dialogue here today. Delays in election results weaken voter confidence. Thousands of ballots can't arrive days after Election Day, which is exactly what I witnessed when I was at Los Angeles County Central Count days after the November 2024 election. Non-citizens on voter rolls weaken voter confidence. We cannot allow someone to say that they're a citizen simply by registering to vote by simply checking a box without verification. For example, that's exactly what Ian Roberts, an illegal alien, did when he registered to vote in the state of Maryland. Stories like this undermine America's trust in our elections. We are here to fix that. Today you may hear Democrats make outlandish claims about these common sense policies. Former Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recently called these proposals "Jim Crow 2.0." Leader Jeffries repeatedly referred to these policies as "voter suppression." Those statements are false, and they insult the intelligence of the American people. They're also the exact same arguments that were made when Georgia passed their election integrity law in 2021. As you may recall, major corporations took out full-page ads in newspapers decrying the bill. Major League Baseball moved the All-Star Game out of Atlanta. President Biden called the Georgia law, you guessed it, "Jim Crow 2.0." Stacey Abrams, the twice-failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate, never hesitated to call it "voter suppression." They were wrong then, as Democrats are wrong now. But in Georgia, the law passed. Georgia's held two statewide elections since. What does this tell us? We can look at the empirical data. And the data tells a far different story than the Democrats would like it to do. Let's take a minute and review what's taken place in Georgia. Without objection, I'd like to insert three news articles to the record: "Voting is surging in Georgia despite controversial new election law" from the Washington Post. Yes, the Washington Post. Axios: "Record-breaking early voting in Georgia Senate runoff." And Valdosta Today: "University of Georgia post-election poll dispels voter suppression myth." All entered into the record. I encourage you to read them. The independent Georgia survey referenced in the last article, I think, is really important to explore further. The University of Georgia did a large and substantive review of the Georgia 2022 general election after the election integrity legislation was passed. 95 percent of voters reported excellent or good in their experience of the election. And that positive impression was across all key demographic groups. And that's important because notably, zero percent of Blacks reported a poor or negative experience in the state of Georgia, statistically. Additionally, 75 percent of voters waited less than 10 minutes in line to cast a ballot. What does all this mean? The common sense reforms House Republicans are proposing today will ensure it remains easy to vote but hard to cheat. Elections should end on Election Day. You need a photo ID to cast a ballot. You need to be a citizen to vote. You need an auditable paper trail, and you shouldn't mail a ballot to people that don't request them. These are common sense. It's why they're popular. It's time we make them standard in American elections. Today we have an opportunity to have this conversation and to move forward on real and substantive election integrity in the United States. I thank our witnesses for being here today, and I now will recognize the Ranking Member, Mr. Morelle, for five minutes for the purpose of providing his opening statement.
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