WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to an executive order signed today by President Donald J. Trump, aimed to severely restrict vote-by-mail across the country, All Voting is Local CEO and Co-founder Hannah Fried released the following statement:
“President Donald Trump continues to lie and lash out at Americans with his relentless assault on our freedoms. He has no authority to issue this executive order. It is nothing but a desperate attempt to keep eligible Americans from voting and change the outcome of elections.
“We need to call this what it actually is—an attempt to dismantle a trusted voting method available to Americans for more than 150 years that tens of millions of Americans rely on while holding down multiple jobs, taking care of their families, and serving our country. This is a clear effort to keep people from voting and, once again, to find another way to misuse sensitive, private voter information, all while threatening to withhold federal funding from states that don’t comply.
“States run elections, so the White House has no business dictating how elections are administered. The Trump administration, which failed to force states to turn over voter rolls, is now attempting to circumvent this barrier and compel the Social Security Administration to turn over sensitive information about American citizens. Everybody should be alarmed by the creation of such lists, which can be manipulated and utilized for political purposes.
“We must ensure that our right to free and democratic elections prevails, because if the White House is successful in taking this foundation away, more rights and freedoms will only follow.”