Bill Aims to Turn Executive Order 14248 on Election Integrity Into Permanent Law

This piece of legislation is short and to the point: it proposes taking Executive Order 14248, titled "Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections," and giving it the full force and effect of law. Essentially, it seeks to transition this presidential directive into a permanent statute, embedding its principles into the federal legal framework.

From Directive to Statute: What Changes?

Normally, an Executive Order (EO) can be modified or revoked by a future president. Codifying EO 14248, as proposed in Section 1, would make it much harder to change – it would require a new act of Congress. Think of it like moving something from a temporary policy memo into the official company handbook. This bill doesn't detail the specific actions within EO 14248; its main function is to elevate the EO's status.

The Core Issue: Defining 'Election Integrity'

The real meat of the matter lies within the EO itself, specifically its focus on "preserving and protecting the integrity of American elections." While the goal sounds straightforward, the term 'integrity' isn't defined within this bill, leaving it open to interpretation. What specific measures does the EO contain? How might different administrations apply this mandate? This lack of explicit detail in the codifying bill means the practical effects depend heavily on the content of EO 14248 and how its broad mandate is implemented.

Potential Ripple Effects

Making this EO permanent law could have significant long-term consequences. On one hand, it might aim to standardize certain practices or provide federal resources to bolster election security consistently across administrations. On the other hand, enshrining a potentially broadly defined mandate into law could lead to disputes over its application. Depending on the specifics within EO 14248 (which aren't listed in this bill), codification could impact everything from voter registration rules to how election results are certified, potentially centralizing aspects of election administration that have traditionally been managed at the state and local level. The key takeaway is that this bill proposes making a specific executive vision for election integrity a lasting part of federal law.