Statement from Jana Morgan, Director of the Declaration for American Democracy – a coalition of over 160 organizations from the labor, racial justice, faith, women’s rights, environmental, good government, and many other important communities – in response to President Trump’s recent attack on mail-in voting:
“Widespread mail-in voting isn’t about helping Democrats. It’s about helping all voters participate in our democracy, Republicans and Democrats alike. To argue that expanding options for voters hurts one party or helps another misses the point: All Americans deserve to exercise their constitutionally protected right to vote. That right is not a campaign cudgel to wield to win elections.
President Trump voted by mail this year in Florida. Melania Trump, Vice President Pence, Ivanka Trump, and many others in the Trump administration have voted by mail. If vote-by-mail is good enough for them, it should also be available to millions of Americans this November so we can have our voices heard and votes counted.
Tomorrow’s Kentucky primary is a prime example of partisan politics endangering the public’s health, with the state dangerously reducing the number of polling places available to voters, particularly for voters of color. This forces Americans to choose between their health and their vote, a choice they should never have to make in our democracy.
That’s why Congress must act now to invest in our 2020 elections to ensure everyone can safely vote during the coronavirus pandemic, both in person and by mail. We need more options to vote, not fewer.”
