Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska is spearheading a bipartisan effort asking members of Congress to pledge that they will accept the results of the Nov. 3 midterm election and allow winning candidates to take office in January.
The proposed public letter calls on lawmakers to oppose efforts to undermine free and fair elections or override voters’ decisions. That includes attempts to refuse or delay the seating of any member of the U.S. House or Senate, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the effort.
The pledge is being organized by Bacon and Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat from New Jersey. It is intended to address concerns about possible federal interference after the election, including efforts to prevent members who win their races from being seated.
“I don’t think it’s necessary because I think the Constitution protects everybody to be accepted into office. It comes directly from the people of their states,” Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said.
Grassley said he would sign the pledge even though he believes existing constitutional provisions and federal laws already establish how elected members are seated. He said the results of the election would be supported by long-standing legal requirements.
Grassley also referred to the constitutional process for removing a member who was improperly seated.
“There is a constitutional provision. If somebody was wrongly seated, then they can be discharged from that office, from the House or Senate, by a two-thirds vote,” Grassley said.
What the pledge addresses
- The effort concerns the acceptance of federal election results and the seating of winning candidates in January.
- It opposes refusing or delaying the seating of a House or Senate member chosen by voters.
- Bacon and Gottheimer are leading the bipartisan effort to obtain lawmakers’ public commitments.
Grassley said he did not view the additional pledge as necessary because the Constitution protects the right of candidates chosen by voters to take office. He nevertheless said he would sign it as a way to help calm concerns about whether federal officials might interfere with the election’s outcome.
Gottheimer said he supports taking the additional step because he was in the House chamber during the violence of Jan. 6. He described the pledge as an extra measure intended to reinforce acceptance of the voters’ decisions.
The effort comes as candidates compete for House and Senate seats that will be filled after the midterm election. Under the proposed commitment, lawmakers would oppose any action designed to override the will of voters by blocking or postponing the seating of a member who wins a certified election.
