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An employee at the Utah County Election office puts mail-in ballots into a container to register the vote in the midterm elections on November 6, 2018 in Provo, Utah. (Photo: George Frey/Getty Images)
Exclusive: 25 Civil Rights Groups Condemn Trump Over Election Delay Threat, Demand Congress Fund Voting Protections
"We denounce this desperate attack on our democracy."
Jul 31, 2020
Over two dozen advocacy groups released a statement Friday, provided exclusively to Common Dreams, condemning President Donald Trump's recent comments suggesting the November general election be delayed.
"We denounce this desperate attack on our democracy," the statement reads.
The NAACP, Stand Up America, and the Service Employees International Union are among the groups that signed the statement, which declares that "Trump is trying to steal this election" and calls on the U.S. Senate to approve the $3.6 billion in funding for elections assistance in the HEROES Act passed by House Democrats in May.
The president, the statement continues, "has repeatedly threatened to ignore election results, launched false attacks on the integrity of mail-in and absentee voting, and done everything to further disenfranchise voters of color. He is also sowing seeds of chaos, from sending in secret police forces to intimidate protestors to undermining science critical to fighting the pandemic."
As Common Dreams reported, Trump's comments on Twitter Thursday morning calling for a delay in the election due to vague implications of problems presented by voting by mail were widely seen as another disturbing step towards a breakdown in democratic institutions.
"The president of the United States is broadcasting that he is considering a coup to hold on to power," tweeted consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. "Make no mistake: We are teetering on the edge of autocracy."
In a statement Thursday on the president's comments, Stand Up America founder and president Sean Eldridge made clear the danger posed by Trump's remarks.
"Trump poses an existential threat to our democracy," said Eldridge. "While he has no authority to delay the election, we cannot ignore his escalating lies and attacks on our democracy."
The best way to push back agains the president's rhetoric, Friday's statement declares, is for Congress to ensure the integrity of the election.
"We denounce this desperate attack on our democracy," say the groups. "There is no trade off needed between safety and voting, and the lies about Vote By Mail will not stick. Congress needs to pass the $3.6 billion in funding for elections that is in the HEROES Act, and we must be ready to protect our election from a desperate president."
"Democracy can not and will not be delayed," the groups add.
Read the full letter:
Donald Trump is trying to steal this election. He has repeatedly threatened to ignore election results, launched false attacks on the integrity of mail-in and absentee voting, and done everything to further disenfranchise voters of color. He is also sowing seeds of chaos, from sending in secret police forces to intimidate protestors to undermining science critical to fighting the pandemic.
Trump's attempt today to delay the election takes his authoritarianism to a new level. Down in the polls, COVID out of control and desperate to distract from bad economic news today and millions losing unemployment insurance tomorrow, Trump is trying to make excuses for why he is losing. He's losing because he's a terrible president.
We denounce this desperate attack on our democracy. There is no trade off needed between safety and voting, and the lies about Vote By Mail will not stick. Congress needs to pass the $3.6 billion in funding for elections that is in the HEROES Act, and we must be ready to protect our election from a desperate president.
Democracy can not and will not be delayed.
Signed:
Alliance for Quality Education
American Federation of Teachers
America Votes
Bend the Arc Jewish Action
Black to the Future Action Fund
Center for Popular Democracy
Climate Hawks Vote
Color of Change
Community Change Action
Democracy for America
Demos Action
Indivisible
League of Conservation Voters/League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
March For Our Lives
NAACP
People's Action
Progressive Change Campaign Committee
RepresentUs
Stand Up America
Showing Up For Racial Justice
Supermajority
UltraViolet
United We Dream Action
Women's March
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Over two dozen advocacy groups released a statement Friday, provided exclusively to Common Dreams, condemning President Donald Trump's recent comments suggesting the November general election be delayed.
"We denounce this desperate attack on our democracy," the statement reads.
The NAACP, Stand Up America, and the Service Employees International Union are among the groups that signed the statement, which declares that "Trump is trying to steal this election" and calls on the U.S. Senate to approve the $3.6 billion in funding for elections assistance in the HEROES Act passed by House Democrats in May.
The president, the statement continues, "has repeatedly threatened to ignore election results, launched false attacks on the integrity of mail-in and absentee voting, and done everything to further disenfranchise voters of color. He is also sowing seeds of chaos, from sending in secret police forces to intimidate protestors to undermining science critical to fighting the pandemic."
As Common Dreams reported, Trump's comments on Twitter Thursday morning calling for a delay in the election due to vague implications of problems presented by voting by mail were widely seen as another disturbing step towards a breakdown in democratic institutions.
"The president of the United States is broadcasting that he is considering a coup to hold on to power," tweeted consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. "Make no mistake: We are teetering on the edge of autocracy."
In a statement Thursday on the president's comments, Stand Up America founder and president Sean Eldridge made clear the danger posed by Trump's remarks.
"Trump poses an existential threat to our democracy," said Eldridge. "While he has no authority to delay the election, we cannot ignore his escalating lies and attacks on our democracy."
The best way to push back agains the president's rhetoric, Friday's statement declares, is for Congress to ensure the integrity of the election.
"We denounce this desperate attack on our democracy," say the groups. "There is no trade off needed between safety and voting, and the lies about Vote By Mail will not stick. Congress needs to pass the $3.6 billion in funding for elections that is in the HEROES Act, and we must be ready to protect our election from a desperate president."
"Democracy can not and will not be delayed," the groups add.
Read the full letter:
Donald Trump is trying to steal this election. He has repeatedly threatened to ignore election results, launched false attacks on the integrity of mail-in and absentee voting, and done everything to further disenfranchise voters of color. He is also sowing seeds of chaos, from sending in secret police forces to intimidate protestors to undermining science critical to fighting the pandemic.
Trump's attempt today to delay the election takes his authoritarianism to a new level. Down in the polls, COVID out of control and desperate to distract from bad economic news today and millions losing unemployment insurance tomorrow, Trump is trying to make excuses for why he is losing. He's losing because he's a terrible president.
We denounce this desperate attack on our democracy. There is no trade off needed between safety and voting, and the lies about Vote By Mail will not stick. Congress needs to pass the $3.6 billion in funding for elections that is in the HEROES Act, and we must be ready to protect our election from a desperate president.
Democracy can not and will not be delayed.
Signed:
Alliance for Quality Education
American Federation of Teachers
America Votes
Bend the Arc Jewish Action
Black to the Future Action Fund
Center for Popular Democracy
Climate Hawks Vote
Color of Change
Community Change Action
Democracy for America
Demos Action
Indivisible
League of Conservation Voters/League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
March For Our Lives
NAACP
People's Action
Progressive Change Campaign Committee
RepresentUs
Stand Up America
Showing Up For Racial Justice
Supermajority
UltraViolet
United We Dream Action
Women's March
Over two dozen advocacy groups released a statement Friday, provided exclusively to Common Dreams, condemning President Donald Trump's recent comments suggesting the November general election be delayed.
"We denounce this desperate attack on our democracy," the statement reads.
The NAACP, Stand Up America, and the Service Employees International Union are among the groups that signed the statement, which declares that "Trump is trying to steal this election" and calls on the U.S. Senate to approve the $3.6 billion in funding for elections assistance in the HEROES Act passed by House Democrats in May.
The president, the statement continues, "has repeatedly threatened to ignore election results, launched false attacks on the integrity of mail-in and absentee voting, and done everything to further disenfranchise voters of color. He is also sowing seeds of chaos, from sending in secret police forces to intimidate protestors to undermining science critical to fighting the pandemic."
As Common Dreams reported, Trump's comments on Twitter Thursday morning calling for a delay in the election due to vague implications of problems presented by voting by mail were widely seen as another disturbing step towards a breakdown in democratic institutions.
"The president of the United States is broadcasting that he is considering a coup to hold on to power," tweeted consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. "Make no mistake: We are teetering on the edge of autocracy."
In a statement Thursday on the president's comments, Stand Up America founder and president Sean Eldridge made clear the danger posed by Trump's remarks.
"Trump poses an existential threat to our democracy," said Eldridge. "While he has no authority to delay the election, we cannot ignore his escalating lies and attacks on our democracy."
The best way to push back agains the president's rhetoric, Friday's statement declares, is for Congress to ensure the integrity of the election.
"We denounce this desperate attack on our democracy," say the groups. "There is no trade off needed between safety and voting, and the lies about Vote By Mail will not stick. Congress needs to pass the $3.6 billion in funding for elections that is in the HEROES Act, and we must be ready to protect our election from a desperate president."
"Democracy can not and will not be delayed," the groups add.
Read the full letter:
Donald Trump is trying to steal this election. He has repeatedly threatened to ignore election results, launched false attacks on the integrity of mail-in and absentee voting, and done everything to further disenfranchise voters of color. He is also sowing seeds of chaos, from sending in secret police forces to intimidate protestors to undermining science critical to fighting the pandemic.
Trump's attempt today to delay the election takes his authoritarianism to a new level. Down in the polls, COVID out of control and desperate to distract from bad economic news today and millions losing unemployment insurance tomorrow, Trump is trying to make excuses for why he is losing. He's losing because he's a terrible president.
We denounce this desperate attack on our democracy. There is no trade off needed between safety and voting, and the lies about Vote By Mail will not stick. Congress needs to pass the $3.6 billion in funding for elections that is in the HEROES Act, and we must be ready to protect our election from a desperate president.
Democracy can not and will not be delayed.
Signed:
Alliance for Quality Education
American Federation of Teachers
America Votes
Bend the Arc Jewish Action
Black to the Future Action Fund
Center for Popular Democracy
Climate Hawks Vote
Color of Change
Community Change Action
Democracy for America
Demos Action
Indivisible
League of Conservation Voters/League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
March For Our Lives
NAACP
People's Action
Progressive Change Campaign Committee
RepresentUs
Stand Up America
Showing Up For Racial Justice
Supermajority
UltraViolet
United We Dream Action
Women's March
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