Cortez Masto, Las Vegas Locals Discuss Trump’s Attempts to Make it Harder for Nevadans to Vote

Las Vegas, Nev. - - Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Kerry Durmick, State Director of All Voting is Local Action Nevada, and two Nevada voters to discuss the Trump Administration's efforts to make it harder for Nevadans to cast their ballots in a manner that is safe and secure for them. According to President Trump himself, these efforts to restrict Americans' right to vote are an attempt to maintain control of government after the midterm elections.

Congressional Republicans, at President Trump's urging, recently tried to force the passage of the SAVE America Act, which would require Americans to show a passport or birth certificate when registering and order states to turn over voter information to the Department of Homeland Security. Senator Cortez Masto and her Democratic colleagues successfully blocked the SAVE America Act from moving ahead in the Senate. Now, President Trump is again attacking the right to vote, this time by signing an illegal Executive Order that would make it much harder to vote by mail.

"President Trump knows his policies are unpopular - prices are up and we're in a war in Iran that has no end in sight," said Senator Cortez Masto. "Republicans are trying to make it harder to vote because they're afraid Nevadans will use their voices at the ballot box to hold them accountable. But it's not going to work. My Democratic colleagues and I are going to keep standing up to stop voter suppression."

"President Trump and his administration have escalated their efforts to interfere ahead of the 2026 midterms by attempting to pass the Voter Elimination Act (otherwise known as the SAVE Act) and signing a second blatantly unconstitutional Executive Order aimed at undermining vote-by-mail. We need to be clear about what these attacks are: The Trump administration is trying to keep people from voting and votes from counting to control who wins the 2026 midterms. Let's start with the Voter Elimination Act. This legislation is part of a broader push for 'show-your-papers' requirements for voters across the country, and if it passes, the bill's requirements would go into effect immediately, causing chaos for Nevada's voters and election officials alike, in the middle of a midterm election year. But it's not just the chaos that implementation in the middle of an election year would cause; the bill would also keep millions of Americans from voting. Did you know that half of American citizens, 146 million people, do not have a passport? There are also 69 million women in this country who don't have a birth certificate that matches their current legal name, and there are more than 21 million American citizens who don't have either of these documents readily available. The harm to everyday Nevadans of a law like this cannot be understated, especially when you take into account the Trump administration's second attempt to seize our elections through executive order. This executive order is an illegal 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, find another way to misuse sensitive, private voter information, all while threatening to withhold federal funding from states that don't comply. Whether it's through legislation, attempts to restrict vote-by-mail, or the weaponization of the Department of Justice and Homeland Security against states in the pursuit of sensitive voter information, we must hold strong. Voters pick their leaders, and Nevadans will not allow these abuses of power to stand in the way of their freedom to vote. What happens now is up to us. Our elections are strongest when all of us show up, speak out, and refuse to be intimidated. Every voter deserves a fair shot, an equal vote, and the confidence that their voice counts," said Kerry Durmick, All Voting is Local Nevada State Director.

"I'm a stay-at-home mom and a student. My days are busy, just like millions of women across Nevada. That is why vote by mail is not just convenient, it is essential. It is how I am able to take part in our democracy. Right now, President Donald Trump & Congressional Republicans are pushing policies that would make it harder for people like me to vote. The SAVE Act would require documents like a passport or birth certificate just to register. Even a Nevada Real ID would not count. Now there is also an effort to restrict vote by mail, which is what allows moms, students, and working women to actually make our voices heard. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto helped stop this bill, but the attacks aren't over. This is about real people, women who are balancing school, their family, and anything else that might be on their plates, but still need a way to make their voices heard. We should be making it easier to vote, not harder!," said Alaina Morrow, a Nevada resident.

"I am here to talk about my father. He was a proud man. He strongly believed in service. Service to friends, church, community, and nation. He was a proud veteran of the United States Air Force. To him, voting was part of his service. President Trump's recent executive order on mail ballots may have prevented my father from fulfilling what he considered his duty to our country. During the last 10 years of his life, my father slowly diminished both physically and mentally. Towards the end of his life, he found it extremely difficult to go anywhere. However, what was very important to him was being able to vote. So he filled out his mail-in ballot, and I dropped it off when I dropped off mine. If President Trump's executive order had been in effect, my father may not have been able to make his voice heard - and neither would innumerable seniors across the country. My father passed away last year, and this year I will continue to do my civic duty of casting my vote in our elections. The SAVE America Act and President Trump's mail ballot executive order would take away my voice and my ability to vote in our elections. I am grateful that Sen. Cortez Masto is standing up against President Trump's attempts to take over our elections and standing against the SAVE America Act. The election suppression efforts being dressed up as "election integrity" efforts are unnecessary, irrelevant, and dangerous," said Lisa Lynn Chapman, Battle Born Progress Research Manager.

Senator Cortez Masto has consistently stood up to President Trump's illegal attempts to take away Americans' voting rights. She helped Democrats defeat the SAVE America Act and called attention to the impact it and other so-called "election integrity" measures by the Trump Administration would have on voting access for Tribal communities. Cortez Masto has introduced legislation to invalidate Trump's executive order restricting mail voting and has fought to protect election workers from being targets of political violence. She has introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure that mail is processed locally, ensuring the timely delivery of mail ballots.

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