In the United States, voters pick our leaders. Not the other way around.
A principios de esta semana, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order targeting mail-in voting, an action that could make it more difficult or impossible for eligible voters to cast a ballot and create confusion about how to vote.
This move is part of a broader effort to control who can vote and influence election outcomes before ballots are cast.
WHAT HAPPENED + LEGAL CONTEXT
By April 1, lawsuits were filed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Governors Association, and Democratic congressional leaders challenging the order.
Additional lawsuits were filed on April 2 by a broad coalition of civil rights and voting rights organizations:
- Centro Brennan para la Justicia
- ACLU Nationwide
- ACLU Massachusetts
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund
- Advancing Justice – AAJC
- LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Representing:
- League of Women Voters Massachusetts
- League of Women Voters US
- Association of American Residents Overseas (AARO)
- U.S. Vote Foundation
- OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Similar efforts to influence elections through executive action have been struck down before. The president does not have the legal authority to set the rules for how elections are run. States determine how elections are conducted.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR VOTERS
Policies that target mail-in voting can:
- Disrupt how people vote
- Raise uncertainty about voting rules and eligibility
- Add new challenges for people who already face obstacles to voting
We know from our work across Michigan that lack of clear information and misinformation already prevent people from participating in elections.
When new restrictions or changes are introduced, those barriers increase.
PATTERN
This Executive Order is part of a pattern of coordinated efforts to impose voting restrictions across Michigan and the country.
This is taking shape through legislation, ballot proposals, and policy changes across Michigan.
- Proposals to require documentary proof of citizenship backed by out-of-state interests (Americans for Citizen Voting), also known as the “Show Your Papers Act”
- Federal legislation like the Ley SAVE
- State-level bills like HB 4765 in Michigan, known as the “Michigan SAVE Act”
- Other measures that restrict or eliminate voting by mail
All of this points in the same direction: making it harder to participate and shaping election outcomes before votes are cast.
JAIL VOTING IMPACT
For many voters, changes to mail voting may seem like a policy issue. For people in jail, it determines whether they can vote at all.
In Michigan, many people in jail are legally eligible to vote. But they have one way to do it: by mail.
They cannot go to a polling place.
They cannot access early voting.
They do not have a backup option.
When mail voting is restricted or cut off, access does not just become harder. It disappears.
This is how people lose their vote without ever losing their rights.
IMPACTED COMMUNITIES
These policies disproportionately affect the same communities we serve every day, including people who are justice-impacted, people experiencing housing instability, older adults, students, and others with limited access to resources.
WHAT MICHIGAN LEADERS ARE SAYING
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson stated:
- The executive order is illegal
- States, not the president, run elections
- The order could create confusion and make it harder for eligible voters to vote
She also affirmed that Michigan elections are already secure and that her office will challenge the order in court.
WHAT VAAC WANTS OUR COMMUNITY TO KNOW
- Your vote is your right. You can vote if you have a felony or misdemeanor, are on probation, parole, or tether, are detained awaiting arraignment, trial, or sentencing, do not have a Michigan ID, have unstable housing, have a disability, or are a naturalized citizen.
- Planting doubt and narrowing voting options are not new tactics used to manipulate how elections are conducted.
- Accurate information is critical right now.
We have seen firsthand how systemic obstacles and unclear voting requirements prevent people from voting, especially in communities that are already underrepresented and have been historically excluded.
We will not waiting to see the impact of these changes. We are organizing to ensure that every eligible voter can participate and that elections remain accessible, fair, and free.
TAKE ACTION
We are encouraging our community to contact your elected officials in Congress:
- Your U.S. Representative (find them here) → https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
- Your two U.S. Senators:
Senator Gary Peters → https://www.peters.senate.gov/contact/email-gary
Senator Elissa Slotkin → https://www.slotkin.senate.gov/contact/contact-senator-slotkin/
- Tú oppose efforts that restrict access to voting, including limits on mail-in voting and policies that require additional documentation to cast a ballot
- Tú support protecting access to voting for eligible voters, including the ability to vote by mail and without unnecessary barriers
Your voice is powerful, and elected officials need to hear directly from you.
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