U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, introduced a companion piece of legislation Monday that would call for election reforms, including polling place observations and pre-counted mail-in ballots.

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, introduced a companion piece of legislation Monday that would call for election reforms, including polling place observations and pre-counted mail-in ballots.

“The Protect Election Integrity Act of 2020 will help restore their trust, which is essential to the health of our republic,” said Kelly in a news release Tuesday.

Kelly's House Resolution 8753, the Protect Election Integrity Act of 2020, is the companion to Senate Bill 4893, introduced Nov. 12 by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican.

“The debacle of the 2020 election has made clear that serious reforms are needed to protect the integrity of our elections,” said Hawley in a Nov. 10. statement. “The confusion and controversy of this past week is not acceptable, Congress must take action.”

In his own statement, Kelly echoed Hawley's concerns about the faith in the nation's election system.

“As our nation waits patiently for the official results of the 2020 presidential election, one thing has become abundantly clear: the administration of the election in several states has caused millions of Americans to lose faith in our electoral system,” Kelly said.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Wednesday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.