DAILY UPDATES
DPI - August 22, 2025
Illinois Rejects Donald Trump’s Scheme to Gut Mail-In Voting
Instead of facing the consequences at the ballot box, Trump is trying to rig the system in his favor
Springfield, IL — Donald Trump and Republicans are following a dangerous pattern: attacking voting rights to cling to power. At Trump's demand, Texas Republicans pushed extreme, gerrymandered maps to diminish the voting rights of Black and Brown voters. Now, he’s threatening to eliminate mail-in voting, which millions of Americans rely on to make their voices heard. Trump’s attack on voting access is another bold face attempt to undermine free and fair elections and rig the system for otherwise unelectable MAGA candidates. In response, the Democratic Party of Illinois released the following statement:
DPI - August 22, 2025
“Donald Trump and his MAGA cronies can try every trick in the book to make it harder for people to vote, but here in Illinois, our elections will remain free, fair, and secure. Mail-in voting is not only safe – it’s essential for working families, seniors, and countless others who rely on it to exercise their constitutional right. Running elections is the job of the state, not Trump’s. And let’s not forget: Trump cast his own ballot by mail. So why is it okay when he does it, but not when hardworking Americans do?”
DPI - August 22, 2025
Key excerpts from NPR: Trump wants to stop states from voting by mail and using voting machines By Ashley Lopez
• He said, without evidence, that voting machines are "highly inaccurate," as well as more expensive and less reliable than counting paper ballots.
• Although Trump himself urged his supporters to vote using mail-in ballots prior to the 2024 presidential election, Democrats have been significantly more likely to vote using mail-in ballots, compared to Republicans, since the 2020 election.
• But legal experts say Trump does not have the legal authority to tell states how to run their elections.
• Michael Morley, a professor at Florida State University College of Law, told NPR that the Constitution gives Congress – not the president – the power to regulate federal elections.
