Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC Condemns Trump’s Unwarranted Attack on Voting Rights and Democratic Process
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, President Trump signed an executive order titled, “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections” – in yet another attempted power grab and effort to intimidate immigrant communities. The order threatens our democracy by intending to require burdensome documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, encouraging the purging of eligible voters from error-prone database comparisons, and attempting to pressure states from counting mail-in and absentee ballots properly mailed on Election Day.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC issues the following statement in response:
“We are dismayed by President Trump’s attempt to undermine civic engagement and vilify immigrant communities, including Asian Americans. Voting is a fundamental right, not a privilege, for all who are eligible, and all eligible votes must be counted during elections. Documentary proof of citizenship, like a passport, is onerous because many Americans don’t have it readily available or even handy when they register to vote.
“Further, the Order’s misguided focus on database matching is alarming because it is prone to errors due to outdated and contradictory information. We know that these Homeland Security databases generally don’t contain information about United States-born citizens. As a result, those who are caught in this unwarranted fishing expedition are most likely to be eligible voters who are naturalized citizens. Past attempts to match voter lists at the state level have already erroneously removed many eligible voters.
“This executive order is rooted in baseless rhetoric around voter fraud and noncitizen voting, which is extremely rare, proving yet again that the ultimate goal of this administration is to prevent American citizens who are disfavored by this Administration from voting. This executive order comes from the same xenophobic impulse as the suspension of federal grants to community organizations helping immigrants naturalize. We saw that same rhetoric in the attempt to slash the Constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship. We stand firm in our commitment to protecting vulnerable communities and making sure that every eligible individual can make their voice heard at the ballot box.”
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