The Voter Participation Center (VPC) and Center for Voter Information (CVI) are outraged at President Trump’s executive order which outlines an illegal, federal takeover of elections which would potentially disenfranchise millions of eligible Americans, leave voter rolls vulnerable to unelected officials like Elon Musk, and hurt the critical work of organizations like ours that register and turn out eligible Americans from underrepresented communities.
President Trump’s executive order claims to solve the non-existent problem of “noncitizen voting” in elections by taking the constitutional power to administer elections away from the states and hobbling the Election Assistance Commission. Let us be clear: noncitizen voting isn’t happening. States already have proven, effective tools to ensure that only citizens vote. In fact, this executive order will make elections and voter data less secure. This is simply an attempt to seize more power by the President who wishes to interfere in elections and grant Elon Musk access to every single voter’s private information.
The measures listed in the executive order are illegal, unprecedented, and would make it more difficult for every American citizen to register and vote at every step of the process:
- If this executive order is implemented, the Election Assistance Commission would have to get rid of the standardized federal voter registration forms, contradicting the current law under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Not only would this cause confusion, but new forms would require documentary proof of citizenship, which surveys show millions of Americans do not currently have access to.
- If a citizen is able to register to vote with the new burdens, their registration may be challenged by DOGE or the Department of Homeland Security, who will have the ability to subpoena and view voter information. Naturalized citizens may also be at increased risk for removal. When the last Trump administration tried to implement a similar fraud prevention system, they got it wrong 99% of the time, and this would have led to mass voter purges if implemented widely.
- States create guidelines for voting and have an established record of administering elections effectively, and ensuring that every vote counts. The executive order outlines new restrictions on mail-in ballots, preventing states from counting any votes received after an election day, even if postmarked before. This means that even if you are able to register and remain on the rolls, your vote still may not be counted on a technicality. By removing the states’ ability to set their own election laws, the federal government will be forcing states to throw away votes.
“The effect that this executive order would have on the voters and the work of non-partisan, non-profit organizations like VPC and CVI cannot be overstated,” said Tom Lopach, President and CEO the Voter Participation Center (VPC) and Center for Voter Information (CVI), “President Trump’s illegal power-grab will come at the expense of every single American, and will make it harder for groups like ours to ensure that underrepresented Americans can make their voices heard at the ballot box. Election administration should not be overhauled based on conspiracy theories and partisan interests. Election administration is working at the state level and should not be federalized. And we certainly should not hand over state voter files to Elon Musk.”
VPC and CVI are committed to continuing to provide resources and support to underrepresented eligible voters. Our mission remains unchanged: to ensure that all citizens have equal access to both register and vote. We urge all those who stand with this mission to contact the White House to tell them that you oppose this illegal executive order.
The Voter Participation Center and Center for Voter Information are non-profit, non-partisan organizations founded in 2003 to help members of the New American Majority – unmarried women, people of color and young people – register and vote. Since then, the organizations have helped over 6 million people register and cast ballots.