Congressman Pete Sessions is introducing the Make Elections Secure Again Act (MESA), a bill aimed at overhauling federal election procedures by banning universal mail-in voting, eliminating electronic voting machines, and restricting early voting to just three days.
“MESA mandates the exclusive use of hand-marked paper ballots for all federal elections and primaries receiving public funds,” Sessions stated, emphasizing that this change would “eliminate reliance on vulnerable electronic systems” and ensure elections are “tamper-proof” and “human-verifiable.”
The legislation also requires every voter to present a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, passport, or military ID, and sign an affidavit in a paper poll book affirming U.S. citizenship and single-voting intent under penalty of felony charges.
Under MESA, early in-person voting would be limited to three days before Election Day to streamline administration and focus resources on secure hand counts. Mailed ballots would be restricted to active-duty military personnel stationed away from their jurisdiction and those with physician-certified medical conditions preventing in-person voting.
The bill also mandates paper poll books as the primary voter check-in method and caps precinct sizes at 1,500 registered voters, aiming to return elections to “community-based, transparent operations that facilitate efficient hand counting and local oversight,” Sessions said.
