Inclusive Democracy Caucus Statement on Trump Administration’s Latest Attack on US Elections
ST. PAUL, Minn. — On Tuesday, March 25, President Trump signed an executive order to overhaul elections in the United States.
The order attempts to seize broad control of elections from states to the federal government, requiring documented proof of citizenship to register to vote and requiring that all ballots be received by Election Day. The order threatens to withhold federal funds from states that do not comply with the President’s agenda, and do not release data on non-citizens with the Trump Administration.
According to the Associated Press, it is estimated that almost 10% of US citizens of voting age (over 21 million people) do not have proof of citizenship readily available. Additionally, this would create more barriers to voting for individuals who have their maiden names listed on their birth certificates.
In February of this year, the Trump administration abruptly fired public servants at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency - workers tasked with protecting our elections from ransomware attacks and physical threats.
In response to this latest order, Chairs of the Minnesota Legislature’s Inclusive Democracy Caucus, Senator Liz Boldon (DFL-Rochester), Representative Cedrick Frazier (DFL-New Hope), and Representative Emma Greenman (DFL-Minneapolis), released the following statement:
“We have seen Donald Trump incite an insurrection on January 6, pardon the violent convicted criminals who attempted to overturn a free and fair election, pressure elected officials in Georgia to illegally ‘find’ him more votes after losing the 2020 election, fire cybersecurity workers who safeguard our elections, and be convicted of 34 felony counts for misusing campaign funds to illegally influence the 2016 election. His anti-democratic bonafides are well documented and adjudicated.
“Now, Trump is attempting another unconstitutional authoritarian power grab, taking away power from states, and threatening to retaliate against those that don’t adhere to his extreme agenda. Let’s be very clear, non-citizens are already prohibited from voting, and face penalties for attempting to do so. This order is an obvious attempt at voter suppression and election interference. It will cause confusion and create nearly insurmountable hurdles to voting for deployed service members or those voting overseas, people who have changed their names, and people who don't have easy access to certain documents like their original birth certificate.
“This unconstitutional executive order is an attack on states like Minnesota, where we pride ourselves on free, fair, and secure elections. It only seeks to concentrate more power in Trump’s hands so he can continue his campaign of election disinformation from the Oval Office.”
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