HR1: For the People or For the Politicians?

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved HR1, the Democrats’ sweeping election reform package. While many have focused on how the bill changes voting and voter registration, the bill also has major implications for free speech—which have largely gone unnoticed. Critics of the bill say that the disclosure rules open the door for intimidation and harassment of Americans for their political beliefs. Some also say that it subsidizes political campaigning with taxpayer money and thrusts piles of paperwork upon Americans who want to criticize elected officials. To find out what’s really hidden in the weeds of this nearly 800-page bill, I decided to sit down with David Keating, president of the Institute for Free Speech. “It says ‘For the People Act,’ but… a more accurate title would be ‘For the Politicians Act,’” Keating argues.