Slotkin Statement on President's Suggestion to Delay Election

Statement

WASHINGTON, DC ---- U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) released the following statement today in response to President Trump's suggestion that the elections be delayed:

"Waking up to the President's tweet, suggesting a delay in elections and, more importantly, laying out the path to discredit the results of the election, gives life to the theory many have been talking about for over a year now: that the President may attempt to disrupt our free and fair elections, or a transition in power. It sent a shiver down my spine, as I hope it does all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

It's disturbing for three reasons:

First, the punch-in-the-gut it provides to see that the Commander in Chief is seeking to undermine the very institutions that make us the United States, as laid out in the Constitution. We didn't postpone elections during the Civil War, while voters in DC could hear gunfire in the distance. And even though the President doesn't have the authority to postpone the election, the self-serving nature of his comments, and the way they upend the very tenets of what it means to be American, is so disheartening. Our elections aren't about you, Mr. President. They're about us.

Second, it builds on the doubt that the President has consistently sowed around mail-in voting and voting in general, in a way that could further deter citizens from exercising their right to vote. While I'm encouraged to hear many of my Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle dismiss the President's suggestion, the Senate now has to put their money where their mouth is and include money for election administration in the next COVID bill. In Washington, how we spend money is a reflection of what we value. If my colleagues believe that elections are important and should be as free and fair as our founders intended, they need to approve more funds for our states and our clerks.

Lastly, for those of us who follow foreign attempts to influence our political process, the President's repeated questioning of the election results provides a blueprint for state and non-state actors to follow as they attempt to influence our democratic process. This is the President saying, "if you want to help me, here's where to focus.' Stay tuned as the propaganda arms for state and non-state groups amp up their campaigns to sow suspicion of election results should President Trump lose."

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