Speaker Johnson, Chairman Steil Announce Most Robust Congressional Election Observer Program in History

WASHINGTON - Today, House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-04) and Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) announced the most robust Congressional Election Observer Program in the history. Over 200 Republican House staffers have signed up for the Program and a majority of them have already successfully completed their training and are prepared to be deployed ahead of the upcoming election.

"The Election Observer Program is a crucial piece in working to make our elections more transparent and more secure," Chairman Steil said. "We are grateful to all the staff who have volunteered their time and effort to participate in this Program. Thanks to House staff members, this Program can operate at its fullest potential and ensure all House elections are conducted fairly."

"The Election Observer Program shows that reinforcing the integrity and transparency of our electoral process should be a nonpartisan issue, agreed upon by all. I'm encouraged to see a record number of staff participating and volunteering in the program to protect legal voters and help ensure our elections are secure and fair," said Speaker Johnson.

Read more about the election observer program here.

Background:
Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution grants each House of Congress the authority to "be the judge of Elections, Returns, and Qualifications of its own Members."

H.R. 6513, the Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act (COCOA Act), provides a statutory citation for the Election Observer Program, ensuring that congressional observers have unimpeded and unfettered observation access to all parts of the election process from beginning to end.

The COCOA Act passed the House and Senate on a bipartisan basis and was signed into law by President Biden on October 4, 2024.

For further details on the COCOA Act, read more here.

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