Presidential candidate Ramaswamy calls for single-day, paper ballot elections

An Iowan told GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Friday that his implication that American elections are not secure was “offensive.”

Ramaswamy held a question-and-answer session while campaigning at a Pizza Ranch in Newton. Asked what he would do to address Republicans’ loss of faith in the American voting system,  Ramaswamy said he shares “concerns” about election integrity. A woman in the audience responded that his remark was disrespectful to both election workers and the U.S. military, which ensures elections are conducted openly and fairly in other countries.

“First of all, I want to say it takes a lot of courage to come to a room full of people who probably you would assume disagree with you to still stand up and speak your mind,” Ramaswamy said, leading to a round of cheers for the woman. “And I want to respect that. … That’s very American action. It’s distinctly American.”

The Republican candidate also outlined an election proposal that would do away with most early voting. He called for single-day voting by paper ballots on Election Day, and making Election Day a national holiday to allow all Americans to participate. He would also require government-issued identification that matches a voter file to participate.

When asked about situations like how homebound people with disabilities would vote, or how those working essential jobs like doctors on Election Day would cast ballots, Ramaswamy said there would be “accommodations” in those circumstances.

Ramaswamy said if his Election Day proposal is implemented, he would advocate for Americans to join him in “dropping our complaints” about election integrity.

“If we’ve achieved that, I will lead everybody in this country to say that we are done talking about insecure elections or loss about faith or ballot integrity,” he said. “And that moves our nation forward.”

Republicans’ concerns about the accuracy of election results sharply rose following the 2020 general election when former President Donald Trump lost to President Joe Biden. Trump made repeated false claims that the election was rigged.

The former president and 18 allies currently face criminal charges for allegedly attempting to overturn 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. Ramaswamy said at Wednesday’s GOP primary debate that he would pardon Trump.

Following the debate, Ramaswamy hit the Iowa campaign trail with three stops Friday and scheduled appearances Saturday. At the Pizza Ranch, a crowd of more than 150 spilled out of the event room into the dining area. The biotech entrepreneur called for a revival of national identity, asking for the crowd to support a political “revolution” through his campaign over establishment candidates.

Attendees laughed when Ramaswamy answered that yes, he did like Johnny Cash and cheered when he said he would bring “mass layoffs to the D.C. bureaucracy.” The candidate, who gained attention earlier in the race for proposals like raising the voting age to 25 with exceptions and tying the U.S. dollar to gold, silver and agricultural commodities, called for removal of federal regulations not approved by U.S. Congress and defended his support of Israel.

One Iowan asked Ramaswamy to explain his faith. Ramaswamy, who is Hindu, said he shares the “Judeo-Christian values this nation was founded on.” He said he stands for religious liberty, and wants to see a resurgence of faith in the country against rising secularism.

“I am not running for ‘pastor in chief,’ I would not be qualified for that,” he said. “But what I’m running for is commander in chief and what matters there is that the values enshrined in the Bible to our Constitution.”

In the most recent Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll taken before the debate, 4% of likely Republican caucusgoers said they plan to support Ramaswamy in the Jan. 15, 2024 Iowa caucus. Former President Donald Trump led the field by a wide margin at 42%, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in second at 19%.

Ramaswamy gained national attention following his appearance at the debate, where he butted heads with former Vice President Mike Pence and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley on issues from national debt and military aid to Ukraine. He led the field with more than 1 million “Vivek Ramaswamy” Google searches conducted Wednesday — with the largest spike during the debate.

Outside of his clashes with rival candidates, Ramaswamy drew strong responses from the crowd at the Wednesday debate. He was booed for calling climate change a “hoax,” and cheered when praising Trump.

Michelle Northrup drove from Baxter to see Ramaswamy in Newton, saying she wanted to learn more about him following the debate. She said he became “top of the list” for her, supplanting candidates like DeSantis and Haley.

“What stood out about him? I guess that he was just so straightforward and made sense,” Northrup said. “He didn’t try to sugarcoat anything, because there’s nothing (that should be) sugarcoated right now.”

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