House Democrats to hold California 'shadow hearings' on midterm election security

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House Democrats will hold a pair of “shadow hearings” in California next week on the upcoming midterm elections — part of a broader party effort to defend state voting systems against mounting critiques and threats of intervention from the Trump administration.Such hearings, similar to those recently held in Los Angeles on President Trump’s immigration raids, provide Democrats an opportunity to highlight issues their majority Republican counterparts won’t schedule for more formal hearings in Washington.The hearings — scheduled for Los Angeles on Tuesday and San Francisco on Thursday — will feature testimony from voting and elections experts, and will be led by Rep.Joseph Morelle of New York, ranking Democrat on the House Administration Committee with oversight of elections, and Rep.

Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), the former House speaker.Morelle, in a statement to The Times, said, “Democracy’s defenses are under attack” and must be defended.“We will not let President Trump and House Republicans’ efforts to take over our elections prevail.We’re going to use every tool in our toolbox and that includes working with pro-democracy allies in communities across the country,” he said.

“I look forward to hearing about the work being done in California to protect democracy as we fight on the ground and in Congress.”Pelosi, in her own statement to The Times, said protecting democracy “demands vigilance, transparency, and action,” and the shadow hearings “will bring together voices on the front lines of election security, voting rights, and accountability to ensure that every American’s vote is protected and every institution earns the public’s trust.”“At a time of rampant threats to our democratic system, we must strengthen and defend the integrity of our elections to reaffirm that our government is of, by, and for the people,” she said.Re...