FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [email protected]
08/18/25
WASHINGTON – Executive Director of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State Ariel Hayes issued the following statement after Trump vowed to sign an executive order to eliminate mail-in balloting and voting machines across the country:
“Trump is doing anything he can to distract the American public from his failures – his disastrous trade war that is raising costs on American families, and his plan to eviscerate Medicaid. From his D.C. takeover to vowing to prosecute former President Obama, none of his stunts can hide the truth – America is sick and tired of this approach.
“His latest distraction – calling for an end to mail-in voting – is anti-democracy, anti-freedom, and anti-American. It would silence voters and usher in a wave of authoritarianism unlike anything we’ve seen.
“Let us be clear: Democratic Secretaries of State will fight this executive order tooth and nail. We will do everything in our power to ensure every eligible American – including single mothers, overnight workers, and disabled people – has access to free, fair, safe, and secure elections, using the voting methods that work best for them. But we must not lose sight of the truth: Trump is terrified of the Epstein files – and he’s desperate to distract the public from them.”