| PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 3, 2020 |
Contact: Sandra Hernandez |
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NHLA CONDEMNS TRUMP’S SUGGESTION TO DELAY THE 2020 ELECTION
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) strongly condemns Donald Trump’s suggestion to delay the 2020 election. NHLA, a coalition of over 40 of the nation’s most preeminent Latino advocacy organization, denounces Trump’s tweet as a tactic to distract from his absent and chaotic leadership and a harmful threat to the foundation of our democracy.
Trump’s tweet late last week suggesting that the election be delayed is a further example of his desire to create crisis for personal gain, to infringe upon the rights of every American to cast their ballot, and to dismiss the Constitution when it becomes inconvenient for him. Trump’s purported voter fraud in the 2020 election has no basis in fact. Instead, it aims to extend the Trump Administration’s control over the Executive Branch. The President has no authority to delay the presidential election, and Trump’s suggestion otherwise is further evidence of his discriminatory agenda to suppress the right to vote. Trump’s tweet is only the latest attempt to interfere with our system of democracy. NHLA condemns this tweet and any further suggestions of a delay to the 2020 election.
“The tweet is an astounding public acknowledgement of Trump's lack of faith in his own reelection prospects,” said Thomas A. Saenz, NHLA Chair and MALDEF President and General Counsel. “It is also a dangerous and unconstitutional indication of how far Trump will attempt to go to disrupt the election; the Latino community must be and will be vigilant to ensure that every eligible voter has the chance to cast an effective ballot.”
“Democracy delayed is democracy denied. Latinos are the fastest-growing segment of the eligible electorate in the country,” said Juan Cartagena, President and General Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “It stands to reason that the most anti-Latino President in memory would rob this growing cohort of their political voice at this time, in this way. No se puede.”
“Americans have casted their vote for more than 200 years including during the Civil War, the Great Depression, World Wars and this year, during a global pandemic, should be no exception,” said Ana Marie Argilagos, President and CEO of Hispanics in Philanthropy. “Instead of questioning the integrity of our electoral process, let the history books tell the story of how even during unprecedented times Americans used their collective power of resiliency and ingenuity to teardown structural barriers to ensure all citizens including underserved working-class Americans have an opportunity to cast a vote. It would be un-American to do anything otherwise.”
“Nothing and no one will keep us from voting in November, and suggestions otherwise are simply un-American and unconstitutional," said Amy Hinojosa, President and CEO of MANA, A National Latina Organization. “In the midst of a global pandemic, economic disaster and civil unrest, the American people will judge the current leadership and choose the way forward. We will climb mountains and walk through fire to vote because our lives depend on it.”
“Donald Trump does not have the authority to delay or change the date of the election,” said María Teresa Kumar, President and CEO of Voto Latino. “The President of the United States is attempting to sow mistrust and fear about an election that he appears poised to lose. We should also not ignore the fact that he said this immediately after news broke of the largest GDP drop-off in our nation’s history. This is Donald Trump’s legacy: a broken economy, hundreds of thousands of people sick and dying unnecessarily, and a nascent authoritarian throwing temper tantrums.”
“Delaying our nation's election is illegal, unconstitutional, and unprecedented. For months Trump has been spreading misinformation and fear about the accuracy and transparency of our electoral process in a crusade to delegitimize the results come November,” said Yanira Merino, LCLAA National President. “This poses a real threat to our democracy and to the core values we uphold as a nation. Universal access to mail voting is of dire importance as we continue to face a rising death toll due to COVID-19. We must see this as an urgent call to action, and as a determining factor for defending our voting rights!”
“The president has failed our country with his bungled COVID-19 response. There is no national plan and our economy is suffering because of it and the Latino community has been affected the most. Now he tweets out that he wants to delay the election. If he cared about our democracy he would spend less time tweeting and more time actually fighting this pandemic,” said Héctor Sánchez Barba, Executive Director and CEO of Mi Familia Vota. “Congress is currently debating a package that would provide $3.6 billion in funding that states and localities need to properly and safely administer elections amidst a pandemic. Do your job, Mr. President. Work with Congress to make this election safe.”
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(The policy positions of NHLA do not reflect the views of every member organization, but reflect the decisions of NHLA as a whole.)