WASHINGTON — The League of Women Voters issued the following statement from CEO Celina Stewart following President Donald Trump’s address to the nation Thursday evening:
“The League of Women Voters strongly denounces President Trump’s false, outlandish, and indefensible claims related to the security of US elections. Continuing to spread allegations that have been repeatedly debunked by experts through countless court proceedings not only erodes public confidence in the democratic process but also further weakens the institutions that protect our freedom to vote. This is yet another brazen attempt to undermine elections and suppress voter turnout.
“Our elections and national security have been protected because of agencies such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the US Election Assistance Commission (EAC), both of which had their leadership dismantled by the Trump administration. You cannot claim to defend election integrity while blatantly dismantling it and firing the independent experts whose very job it is to protect it.
“It is vital the American people realize that the administration’s goal with this address was to create a new avenue to pass the SAVE Act yet again, after it failed three times in Congress. This bill would strip the right to vote from 70 million American women and cripple the American election system for personal political gain. When public trust in elections is deliberately undermined, and when millions of eligible voters are in danger of losing their right to vote, the damage extends far beyond a single speech or election cycle.
“This is a perilous inflection point for our democracy. By urging Americans to doubt whether their votes count, whether certified election results reflect the will of the people, and whether our system can endure, the president is eroding the foundations of self-government. Most troubling, his speech deliberately sowed suspicion among neighbors and communities, weakening the trust and shared commitment that make democratic life possible.
“Make no mistake: this is a deliberate, dangerous, and desperate attempt to spread doubt not only about the 2020 election and the verified integrity of our election process, but about any future election whose outcome President Trump refuses to accept. As our nation prepares for the November midterm elections, we call on leaders at every level to remember their constitutional duties and oaths of office and uphold their responsibility to strengthen our democracy by speaking truthfully about our elections. And we call on voters to show up to the November midterms in record numbers, so there can be no doubt, once and for all, that Americans are committed to electing a government that serves all of us, not just some of us.”
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