In Spotlight Forum, Cantwell Calls Out Trump Trampling On Voting Rights: “This Is About Our Constitutional Rights, & Whether We're Going To Uphold Them Or Not”

In Spotlight Forum, Cantwell Calls Out Trump Trampling On Voting Rights: "This Is About Our Constitutional Rights, & Whether We're Going To Uphold Them Or Not"

Today, Trump again pressures Senate Republicans to pass voter suppression bill; Cantwell tapped by Schumer to join a task force of senators fighting back against the Trump administration's illegal overreach into free elections

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined several of her Senate Democratic colleagues for a spotlight forum highlighting President Donald Trump's illegal overreach into our free and fair elections.

"We are talking about a constitutional right given to the citizens of this country, and whether we are going to fight to uphold that and protect that," Sen. Cantwell said.

Video of her remarks at the forum are available HERE; a transcript is HERE.

The spotlight forum was led by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and highlighted how states and localities are stepping up to protect election integrity. Members heard from prominent election administration and security experts on the preparedness and professionalism of state and local election officials facing the systematic threats to the administration of elections posed by the Trump Administration and their state allies, as well as a former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, who provided firsthand insight into how the Trump Administration's decimation of federal support for election security undermines states' activities to protect the upcoming elections.

Today, President Trump again tried to pressure Senate Republicans to pass the SAVE America Act, a disastrous voter suppression bill that would disproportionately harm minorities, women who change their name upon marriage and rural voters - many of whom make up their own base. Trump said he would not sign unrelated legislation about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) unless it includes the elections bill and he also threatened to pull his own nominee to be Director of National Intelligence just hours before a previously scheduled confirmation hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. On April 23, Senate Republicans failed to pass the SAVE America Act in the face of bipartisan opposition.

On April 29, Sen. Cantwell was tapped by Sen. Schumer to join a task force of senators fighting back against the Trump administration's illegal overreach into free and fair elections. "Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, so I'm glad to join Senator Schumer's task force on elections to make sure that this year we fight in the United States of America to preserve that right," Sen. Cantwell said during a press gathering ahead of a meeting of the group.

Sen. Cantwell has been a stalwart defender against overreach of the Trump administration into our elections:

• On June 8, she joined 23 of her Senate colleagues in demanding answers over the Trump Administration's decision to remove the most recent version of the Federal Prosecution of Election Offenses manual from the Department of Justice's (DOJ) website without explanation.
• On April 23, she joined colleagues in introducing the Absentee and Mail Voter Protection Act to block President Trump's illegal and unconstitutional March 31 executive order attacking mail and absentee ballots and protect the right to vote by mail.
• On April 22, she sent a letter to the United States Postal Service (USPS) warning the agency against complying with the executive order, which would undermine mail-in voting.
• On April 1, after the executive order on mail-in voting was announced, she issued a statement in opposition.
• On March 18, she convened a group of current and former elected officials and representatives of nonpartisan voter advocacy groups for a virtual press conference on defending voter access. Video of that entire virtual press conference is HERE; video of Sen. Cantwell's statement is HERE; and a transcript of Sen. Cantwell's statement is HERE.
• On March 15, she issued a snapshot report showing that the SAVE America Act - a voter suppression bill - would cost Washington state taxpayers more than $35 million this year alone.
• On Feb. 24, Sen. Cantwell invited Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs as her guest to President Trump's State of the Union address to draw attention to the issue.
• On Feb. 20, she convened local leaders in Seattle for a press conference urging Washingtonians to fight back against these proposed new burdens to voting.
• On Feb. 19, she gathered in Vancouver with the Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey and local chapter heads of the League of Women Voters and the NAACP for a press conference on how this bill would disenfranchise voters.
• Also on Feb. 19, she released a snapshot report showing who in Washington would face undue hurdles to voting if the SAVE America Act were signed into law. The report shows that certain populations - including people who live in rural areas, women who changed their name after marriage, and people who recently moved - would face additional, cumbersome burdens to prove their citizenship.
• On Feb. 5, she appeared on MSNOW's Morning Joe to push back against the Trump administration's heightened efforts to interfere in state-run elections and collect private data on American voters. Video of Sen. Cantwell's appearance is HERE; a transcript is HERE.
• On Jan. 29, Sen. Cantwell joined Senate colleagues in a letter to then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, pushing 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. DOJ has sued 24 states - including Washington state - and the District of Columbia demanding the personal information of their voters.
• On Jan. 15, she joined Senate colleagues in a letter to USPS Postmaster General David Steiner raising concerns with recent developments affecting postmark practices. Right before the holiday season, USPS changed its postmark practices, which could have significant impacts on voters nationwide and in Washington state - including rural voters, military and overseas voters, and many others who rely on rely on the mail to safely and securely cast their ballot.
• On Jan. 9, she joined 13 Senate colleagues in filing an amicus brief before the Supreme Court in Watson v. Republican National Committee, a significant case pending before the Court that affects voting by mail. The case, brought by the Republican National Committee, threatens the election administration practices of states like Washington that permit the counting of mail ballots that are postmarked by Election Day to be counted when they are received within a certain number of days after Election Day. The Court heard oral arguments in the case in March and a ruling is pending, with a decision expected soon before the Court concludes its current term.