On Tuesday, March 25th, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the national mail voter registration form to require documentary proof of citizenship, such as a passport, to register to vote. This order also attempts to force states to enact documentary proof of citizenship requirements and to stop counting absentee and mail-in ballots received after Election Day – in violation of Illinois law, threatening to withhold federal funding if states do not comply.
In response to the executive order, a group of voting rights advocates including the League of Women Voters of Illinois and the ACLU of Illinois released the following statement:
As organizations who have worked tirelessly to advance and expand access to the ballot across Illinois for many years, we condemn the President’s blatant overreach aimed at changing the progress we have made in our state. Donald Trump would disenfranchise millions of eligible voters – based on the lie that non-citizens are voting in large numbers. This executive order – like so many of Trump’s efforts – is blatantly illegal and attempts to substitute the conspiracy theories of the Trump White House for good policy measures we have adopted in Illinois.
With less than a week before voters across the State of Illinois go to the ballot box in critical important elections, no one should be confused or misled: the President’s order does not impact the ability of people to vote by mail or register on election day in our state for these elections. We encourage everyone who is eligible to participate and vote for candidates who reflect their values in these important local elections.
We encourage any voters with questions to call the non-partisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (English), 888-VE-Y-VOTA (Spanish), 888-API-VOTE (Asian languages), or 844-YALLA-US (Arabic).