WATCH: For the Fourth Time, Padilla Takes to the Floor to Slam Trump and Republicans’ Un-American Attempts to Disenfranchise Millions of Voters and Cripple Vote-by-Mail

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California's former Secretary of State, held the Senate floor for a fourth time to continue leading the Democratic opposition to the anti-voter SAVE America Act. In his speech, Padilla once again condemned Republicans' dogged attempts to subvert democracy, citing both the so-called SAVE America Act and the recent illegal executive order signed by President Trump targeting vote by mail.

Padilla drew parallels between Republicans' attacks on our elections to those seen in illiberal democracies like Hungary. But like the recent elections in Hungary, Padilla underscored that the power of the people will overcome legislative actions, executive orders, and any other illegal tactic to suppress the vote.

With yet another week of Republicans wasting time focusing on limiting Americans' access to the ballot box instead of the addressing high cost of living, exorbitant prices at the pump, and an unpopular war with Iran, Padilla emphasized that Senate Democrats will continue fighting for the right to vote and against Trump and Republicans' voter suppression efforts.

Video of Padilla's floor speech is available here.

Key Excerpts:

"Because with inflation up, the cost of living up, prices at the gas pump are up, and our nation spiraling deeper into an unpopular and unlawful war in the Middle East, Donald Trump sees the writing on the wall…And if you can't rig the rules - making it harder to register, harder to stay on the voter rolls, and harder to vote - then maybe, there's a chance they might just hold on to power. That's his only hope."

"The Republican bill attacks vote by mail - the same vote by mail that 48 million Americans relied on in the last election. The same vote by mail that Donald Trump himself repeatedly has utilized as an option to cast his ballot including a few weeks ago in a special election in Florida…Donald Trump thinks voting by mail is safe and secure for him but not for the American people? What's with that hypocrisy?"

"Let me say that again: if states don't follow Donald Trump's directives, ballots will go undelivered. Meaning lawful votes, cast legally, by United State citizens, will not be counted…This order is unconstitutional, it is illegal, and it will not stand. The order even threatens criminal penalties for election officials to mail carriers just doing their job."

"In 1978, California - my home state - became the first state in the nation to allow no excuse absentee voting to help more citizens vote, vote securely, and vote conveniently. We flash forward to today, now 28 states allow no excuse absentee voting, plus an additional 8 states that have universal mail voting - add that up, that's a super majority of the country… Even American astronauts have been able to vote by mail from the International Space Station since 1997."

"But here's what we all need to remember…

You can bring up bills designed to suppress the vote.

You can keep signing, illegal executive orders.

You cannot, and will not, stop the American people from voting.

You cannot stop them from speaking up.

And you cannot turn back the clock on the progress this country has made.

Democrats will continue to fight anti-American bills like this one here in Congress, no matter how long it takes. And leaders across the country will continue to challenge illegal and unconstitutional orders in the courts."

Background

Padilla has led the charge opposing President Trump and Republicans' reckless attempts to restrict the right to vote. Last month, Padilla blasted President Trump's sweeping election "takeover" executive order, calling it "a blatant, unconstitutional abuse of power." Padilla joined leading voting rights advocates and impacted voters from across the country at the Capitol to push back against the anti-voter SAVE America Act.

The Senator also took to the Senate floor three times to lead the opposition to the bill. Padilla, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Representative Joe Morelle (N.Y.-25), and voting rights advocates also held a press conference rejecting Trump and Congressional Republicans' attempted election takeover, including through the SAVE America Act.

In February, Padilla spoke on the Senate floor to condemn Republicans' attempts to pass the bill. Last May, he stopped Senator Mike Lee's (R-Utah) attempt to pass the anti-voter SAVE Act through the Senate by unanimous consent. He also convened a Rules Committee Democrats spotlight forum focused on Congressional Republicans' SAVE Act and Trump's illegal anti-voter executive order. As President Trump marked 100 disastrous days in office, Padilla led his Democratic colleagues on the Senate floor to speak out against the SAVE Act and the Trump Administration's attacks on election integrity. Last April, he warned Secretaries of State, Lieutenant Governors, and Chief Election Officials across the country of the devastating potential impacts of the SAVE Act, concerns that have been echoed by top election officials across the country.

In January, Senator Padilla and Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) led 26 Senate colleagues in pressing DOJ to stop its unlawful pressure campaign to coerce dozens of states into providing the Trump Administration their voter rolls, which include voters' personally identifiable information. Last October, Padilla and Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.) filed an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit opposing the Trump Administration's illegal ongoing attempts to purge state voter rolls across the country by developing a massive interagency database of Americans' sensitive personal data. Additionally, Padilla and Representative Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio-03) announced the Voter Purge Protection Act last year to prevent the Trump Administration's ongoing voter purge efforts, including by prohibiting the removal of individuals from the voter rolls due to changes in residence or not voting in previous elections.

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