Cantwell Joins Senate Elections Task Force to Defend Ballot Access in November

President Trump’s statements and Administration’s actions continue to raise alarms that midterm votes will be suppressed or invalidated in unprecedented ways; Cantwell: “Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, was tapped by Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) 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 today. “Our colleagues should speak up. Either they believe in defending our Constitution on these civil liberties and defend our right to vote in free and fair elections, or they are going to continue to cower and create an erosion of those civil liberties.

“Now is the time for this task force and all Americans to join us in making sure your voice is heard and counted in a fair process.”

Video of the press gathering is HERE; a transcript of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks is HERE.

In addition to Sens. Cantwell and Schumer, the group includes U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Bernie Sanders (I-VA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

On March 31, President Donald Trump issued an illegal executive order that would direct his administration to compile lists of eligible voters in each state and direct the USPS to mail ballots only to those voters who meet that criteria – a clear violation of the Constitution, which delegates authority to oversee elections to the states.

Last week, Senate Republicans failed to pass the SAVE America Act, a disastrous voter suppression bill that would disproportionately harm women who change their name upon marriage and rural voters – many of whom make up their own base.

The Spokesman Review: SAVE America Act would require Washingtonians to mail photocopies of official IDs with ballot to vote

In the 2024 election, nearly 48 million people – almost a third of all voters – cast their ballots by mail. All states offer registered voters the opportunity to vote by mail in federal general elections and 12 states, including Washington – an early pioneer in expanding by-mail voting – conducted their 2024 elections entirely by mail. Washington state started vote-by-mail in 1983, adopted optional vote-by-mail in 2005, and enacted universal vote-by-mail in 2011.

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

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 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 the Department of Justice (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 last month and a ruling is pending.