ICYMI: Democrats take action to stop Trump’s efforts to control elections and restrict ballot access
Washington, D.C. – Democrats across Congress are mounting a coordinated response to protect access to the ballot and block President Trump’s vote-by-mail executive order — an effort by the Administration to interfere in election administration and assert control over who can access the ballot.
Senate Democrats warn USPS against enforcing Trump order:Sens. Gary Peters, Alex Padilla, Dick Durbin, and Chuck Schumer led 33 of their Democratic colleagues on a letter calling for USPS to uphold federal law and keep the federal government from interfering with voter eligibility determinations and ballot access — effectively transforming USPS into an arm of election enforcement.
New Senate legislation aims to block the order and prevent future overreach: Sens. Padilla, Peters, and Durbin also introduced legislation to nullify the executive order and establish guardrails against similar actions. The Absentee MVP Act is intended to reinforce that election administration authority is reserved to the states and to prevent the federal government from unilaterally imposing restrictions on vote-by-mail.
From AAGC Executive Director Cole Leiter: “No president — Trump or any to come — should be able to change the rules of an election in order to keep power and disenfranchise eligible voters. This bill pushes back on the Trump Administration’s illegal executive order that attempts to do just that. It is a strong, forward-looking step to protect the integrity of our elections and ensure voters decide elections, not politicians”
House Democrats press Trump directly over ballot access concerns: At the same time, more than 100 House Democrats, led by Reps. Nikki Budzinski and Chris Pappas, are demanding the Administration reverse course. Their letter warns that the executive order risks restricting access to the ballot, conflicts with federal law, and undermines established election systems.
Bottom Line: Continued action is needed to stand against Trump’s attempts to federalize election participation including vote-by-mail and centralize control over ballot access, part of his broader effort to test just how far executive power can be weaponized to directly shape electoral outcomes.
