{"id":27576,"date":"2023-10-16T21:09:43","date_gmt":"2023-10-16T21:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:05:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:05:19","slug":"defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/","title":{"rendered":"Defending democracy at home: The ACE Act\u2019s missteps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a veteran who has served my country with honor and pride, defending democracy and American values both abroad and at home has been ingrained in my sense of duty. When it comes to the American Confidence in Elections (ACE) Act, an election reform bill being advanced by the House GOP, I believe it unnecessarily restricts voting while doing little to address the real security threats to our Democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the authors will say that this bill will improve confidence in our voting process, the ACE Act fails to safeguard our democratic process by ignoring best practices in election integrity, limiting the assistance of nonprofit cybersecurity experts, and restricting funds needed for critical infrastructure upgrades.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2022\/11\/02\/defense-contractors-donate-millions-to-election-denying-lawmakers\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1294949419.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Defense contractors donate millions to election deniers<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">During the 2022 election cycle, the five largest defense firms contributed nearly $2 million to Republicans who voted against certifying results.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a grave misconception that in order to secure elections you must limit accessibility. Numerous proven best-practices exist to fortify our elections without disenfranchising eligible voters. These practices include investing in cyber and physical security, improving list maintenance, and updating voter rolls through tools like Secure Automatic Voter Registration, or SAVR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet, regrettably, the ACE Act ignores these proven best practices, to make it easy to vote and harder to cheat, missing an opportunity to implement comprehensive measures that truly secure our elections. Instead, the ACE Act places unnecessary burdens on both voters and election administrators, complicating an already intricate process and potentially leading to unintended consequences, such as voter suppression and reduced voter turnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the face of evolving foreign threats, including a major ransomware attack from Iran during the 2020 elections, our election system\u2019s resilience depends on the support of cybersecurity experts. Nonprofit professionals have played a pivotal role in assisting elections offices with their expertise, bolstering the system\u2019s defenses against digital attacks. Unfortunately, the language used in the ACE Act opens the door to punitive measures that could threaten the nonprofit status of these organizations for simply helping elections offices respond to sophisticated cyber threats. Such restrictions would hinder the flow of critical knowledge and support, leaving our elections more vulnerable to foreign interference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"6000\" height=\"4000\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22313014594636.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79359\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22313014594636.jpg.jpg 6000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22313014594636.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22313014594636.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22313014594636.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22313014594636.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22313014594636.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 6000px) 100vw, 6000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Melvin L Quakenbush drops his ballot in the box after voting at the Pablo Christian Church on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Pablo, Mont., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (AP Photo\/Tomy Martino)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Investing in the technology, capacity, and physical security of elections offices is paramount to ensure the long-term integrity of our elections. Local Election Offices in particular are at the forefront of our democratic process, and they need to regularly upgrade their equipment and adapt their facilities to ensure elections run smoothly. However, rather than encourage investment in these elections offices that desperately need assistance, the ACE act further restricts federal security grants and limits resources for local elections offices. Rather than empowering these offices with the necessary tools and resources to enhance their capabilities, the act inadvertently undermines their ability to provide accessible and secure elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a service member, I have proudly defended democracy and American values overseas. But, it is equally crucial that we defend those values at home, within our own electoral system. The ACE Act\u2019s shortcomings raise concerns about the adequacy of its impact on preserving the democratic principles we hold dear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a nation, we must remain vigilant in safeguarding the integrity of our electoral process. It is essential that we pursue legislation that prioritizes both security and accessibility, drawing upon proven best-practices to achieve a robust and fair democratic process. Only through a united effort can we uphold the values we have fought so hard to protect both on international soil and within our nation\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Rick Blakemore is a Vietnam War Veteran who served in the U.S. Navy as a Quartermaster for 6 years. He is a member of VoteVets, a<\/i> progressive political action committee and 501 nonprofit organization,<i> and a resident of Carlsbad, Calif.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The act places unnecessary burdens on both voters and election administrators, complicating an already intricate process, the author argues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":79355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":26,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[38,31,14,26,9],"tags":[],"coauthors":[5875],"class_list":["post-27576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-home","category-it-networks","category-opinions","category-federal-oversight"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"FZGOD7YIZVA2FOSPRUSZCO4IBY","arc_canonical_url":"\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Defending democracy at home: The ACE Act\u2019s missteps - Federal Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The act places unnecessary burdens on both voters and election administrators, complicating an already intricate process, the author argues.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Defending democracy at home: The ACE Act\u2019s missteps\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The act places unnecessary burdens on both voters and election administrators, complicating an already intricate process, the author argues.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Federal Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-16T21:09:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T05:05:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rick Blakemore\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rick Blakemore\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/opinions\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/16\\\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/opinions\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/16\\\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Defending democracy at home: The ACE Act\u2019s missteps\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2023-10-16T21:09:43+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T05:05:19+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/opinions\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/16\\\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 636,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/opinions\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/16\\\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP22313119602421.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Congress\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"IT &amp; Networks\",\n\t                \"Opinion\",\n\t                \"Oversight\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/opinions\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/16\\\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/opinions\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/16\\\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/opinions\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/16\\\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defending democracy at home: The ACE Act\u2019s missteps - Federal Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/opinions\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/16\\\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/opinions\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/16\\\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP22313119602421.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2023-10-16T21:09:43+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T05:05:19+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The act places unnecessary burdens on both voters and election administrators, complicating an already intricate process, the author argues.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/opinions\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/16\\\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/opinions\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/16\\\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/opinions\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/16\\\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP22313119602421.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP22313119602421.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/opinions\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/16\\\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Opinion\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/opinions\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"opinions\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Defending democracy at home: The ACE Act\u2019s missteps\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Federal Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/federal-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/federal-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Federal Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/federaltimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Defending democracy at home: The ACE Act\u2019s missteps - Federal Times","description":"The act places unnecessary burdens on both voters and election administrators, complicating an already intricate process, the author argues.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Defending democracy at home: The ACE Act\u2019s missteps","og_description":"The act places unnecessary burdens on both voters and election administrators, complicating an already intricate process, the author argues.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/","og_site_name":"Federal Times","article_published_time":"2023-10-16T21:09:43+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T05:05:19+00:00","author":"Rick Blakemore","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rick Blakemore","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Defending democracy at home: The ACE Act\u2019s missteps","datePublished":"2023-10-16T21:09:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T05:05:19+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/"},"wordCount":636,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22313119602421.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Congress","Home","IT &amp; Networks","Opinion","Oversight"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/","name":"Defending democracy at home: The ACE Act\u2019s missteps - Federal Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22313119602421.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2023-10-16T21:09:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T05:05:19+00:00","description":"The act places unnecessary burdens on both voters and election administrators, complicating an already intricate process, the author argues.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22313119602421.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22313119602421.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2023\/10\/16\/defending-democracy-at-home-the-ace-acts-missteps\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Opinion","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/","ad_zone":"opinions"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Defending democracy at home: The ACE Act\u2019s missteps"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","name":"Federal Times","description":"Federal Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#organization","name":"Federal Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/federal-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/federal-logo-white.png","caption":"Federal Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Federal Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22313119602421.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27576"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27582,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27576\/revisions\/27582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27576"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=27576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}