Washington, D.C. – This week, Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Marietta) voted to pass H.R. 4617, the Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act.  This strong, common-sense legislation takes decisive and bipartisan steps to fight foreign interference in our elections by strengthen reporting requirements, closing loopholes, and deterring foreign activity in U.S. elections. The passage of this bill builds on the bold action the House of Representatives took to close dangerous gaps in our voting security by passing H.R. 1, the For The People Act, and H.R. 2722, the Securing America’s Federal Elections (SAFE) Act, earlier this year.

“Voters in Georgia and across America elected us to uphold the Constitution and protect the integrity of our elections,” said McBath. “Protecting our elections and our national security are basic principles that should unite every Member of Congress, both Republican and Democrat. I will continue to honor my responsibility to take every action necessary to prevent foreign governments from meddling in our elections. I’m a proud cosponsor of the SHIELD Act and am glad we passed it out of the House. I look forward to working together in Congress to ensure America’s elections are decided by the American people.”

The SHIELD Act takes critical steps to protect our elections and our democracy:

•           Creates a duty to report illicit offers of campaign assistance from foreign governments and their agents.

•           Helps prevent foreign interference in future elections by improving transparency of online political advertisements.

•           Closes loopholes that allow foreign nationals and foreign governments to spend in U.S. elections.

•           Restricts exchange of campaign information between candidates and foreign governments and their agents.

•           Prohibits deceptive practices about voting procedures.

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