Cortez Masto Joins Padilla, Peters, Durbin Bill to Kill Trump’s Executive Order Restricting Mail Voting

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined legislation led by Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to block President Trump's illegal Executive Order (EO) attacking the right to vote by mail. 

On March 31^st, President Trump issued an EO to give his Administration sweeping authority to decide which voters may cast ballots by mail by ordering the United States Postal Service (USPS) to reject and refuse delivery of lawful ballots unless states comply with newly established federal eligibility lists. Those who do not comply with these restrictions, including election officials and mail carriers, could face criminal charges. The EO also tasks the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with building state-by-state rosters of voting-age American citizens drawn from inconsistent and unreliable data sources. The Absentee and Mail Voter Protection Act (Absentee MVP Act) would invalidate President Trump's March 31 EO and prohibit the Trump Administration from spending funds to implement it.

"Voting is a fundamental right guaranteed to Americans by our Constitution," said Senator Cortez Masto. "Roughly half of Nevadans exercise their right to vote by mail. This unconstitutional Executive Order would disproportionally affect Nevadans' ability to exercise their right to vote. President Trump will not silence Nevada's voice."

Read the full bill here.

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 fought to protect election workers from being targets. She has introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure that mail is processed locally, ensuring the timely delivery of mail ballots.

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