July 14, 2017

Duckworth Introduces Bill to Repeal Trump Voter Suppression Executive Order

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and number of their colleagues in introducing the Anti-Voter Suppression Act to repeal President Trump's Executive Order establishing an "election integrity" commission to investigate widespread voter fraud. Duckworth has been a vocal critic of the commission's actions, including its intrusive and illegal request for personally-identifiable information on every United States voter, which they temporarily halted amid a growing number of legal challenges.

"Instead of focusing on the serious threat to our democracy posed by known foreign attacks on our election infrastructure, this commission appears to be attempting to manufacture false evidence of massive voter fraud to justify voter suppression," said Duckworth. "I can't help but think back to 2005 when I was laying in my hospital bed looking at pictures of Iraqis - including women, Christian minorities and marginalized groups - with green thumbs who were so proud they could vote freely for the first time thanks to the sacrifice of American troops. Now, we have a Commander-in-Chief who is spearheading an effort to take away the rights of people to vote through an illegal action."

The Anti-Voter Suppression Act would also prohibit any federal funds from being used to support the Trump voter suppression commission. People are more likely to be struck by lightning than to commit in-person voter fraud. A 2014 study found only 31 credible instances of in-person voter fraud were discovered out of more than one billion ballots cast between 2000 and 2014.

"The right to vote is among the most precious features of our American democracy," said Senator Booker. "We will not go back to a time when millions of people - most of them poor and minorities - were silenced through disenfranchisement. Yet that is exactly what President Trump seems to want to do with this sham of a commission. And all to appease his enormous insecurity about the fact that he lost the popular vote by a sum of 2.9 million Americans. We will fight him every step of the way. Even one taxpayer dollar spent on this circus would be a waste of resources."

The legislation is cosponsored by 90 members of Congress, including U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chairwoman Judy Chu (D-CA). A full listing or cosponsors follows.

Senator Dick Durbin
Senator Kamala Harris
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Senator Ed Markey
Senator Jack Reed
Senator Al Franken
Senator Christopher Coons
Senator Sherrod Brown
Senator Tom Carper
Senator Patty Murray
Senator Bob Casey
Senator Maggie Hassan
Senator Jeanne Shaheen
Senator Chuck Schumer
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
Senator Amy Klobuchar
Senator Chris Murphy
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Senator Ron Wyden
Senator Tom Udall
Senator Elizabeth Warren
Senator Richard Blumenthal
Senator Patrick Leahy
Senator Martin Heinrich
Senator Jeff Merkley
Senator Brian Schatz
Rep. John Conyers
Rep. John Lewis
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton
Rep. Maxine Waters
Rep. Sanford Bishop, Jr.
Rep. James Clyburn
Rep. Alcee Hastings
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson
Rep. Bobby Rush
Rep. Bobby Scott
Rep. Bennie Thompson
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
Rep. Elijah Cummings
Rep. Danny Davis
Rep. Gregory Meeks
Rep. Barbara Lee
Rep. William Lacy Clay, Jr.
Rep. David Scott
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II
Rep. Al Green
Rep. Yvette Clarke
Rep. Keith Ellison
Rep. Hank Johnson
Rep. Andre Carson
Rep. Marcia Fudge
Rep. Karen Bass
Rep. Terri Sewell
Rep. Frederica Wilson
Rep. Donald Payne, Jr.
Rep. Joyce Beatty
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries
Rep. Marc Veasey
Rep. Robin Kelly
Rep. Brenda Lawrence
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman
Rep. Dwight Evans
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester
Rep. Anthony Brown
Rep. Val Butler Demings
Rep. Al Lawson
Rep. A. Donald McEachin
Rep. Ted Lieu
Rep. Steve Cohen
Rep. Marcy Kaptur
Rep. Grace Meng
Rep. Frank Pallone
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa
Rep. Raul Grijalva
Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan
Rep. John Garamendi
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney
Rep. Don Beyer
Rep. Tim Ryan
Rep. Pramila Jayapal
Rep. Nydia Velazquez
Rep. Paul Tonko
Rep. Carol Shea-Porter
Rep. Jared Polis
Rep. Rick Larsen
Rep. John Sarbanes
Rep. Darren Soto
Rep. Nydia Velazquez