The Freedom From Religion Foundation is denouncing President Trump’s reprehensible announcement that he plans to issue an executive order seizing control of American elections. The national state/church watchdog urges its membership, freethinkers and all Americans who support democracy to resist this proposed shocking abuse of power.

Hours after meeting with strongman Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, Trump claimed that Putin told him, “Your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting,” presumably in reference to the 2020 presidential election that Trump lost. Trump posted a long, rambling message on Truth Social that characterized voting by mail — which a third of voters utilized in the 2024 election — as a “scam” and a “hoax” perpetrated by Democrats.

The executive order reportedly would seek to eliminate vote-by-mail and dropboxes, replace voting machines with “federally approved” ones and impose federal oversight over state elections. FFRF has long maintained that “voting is a secular issue,” and strongly supports any measures that make voting more — not less — accessible, including voting by mail.

Fact-checking Trump’s many claims, “PBS News Hour” noted that although Trump claimed the United States is the only nation that allows mail-in voting, at least 34 countries or territories do so, even though it’s usually called “postal voting.” A good number of these nations permit only mail-in voting.

Many constitutional experts have observed, as UCLA election law professor Rick Hasen notes, that “the Constitution does not give the president any control over federal elections.” Article 1, Section 4 gives that power instead to the states, with some oversight in federal elections to Congress.

“Suppressing the vote is the hallmark of dictators, fascists and other authoritarians,” comment Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-presidents. “This threat to destroy fair elections, apparently set up the mechanics to rig elections and deny voter access would be a direct strike against our secular democracy and all voters.’”

They add, “Trump’s actions, if permitted, would destroy our democratic voting process, and deny many Americans the vote and voter access so many of our ancestors worked so hard to obtain.”

FFRF reminds the nation of our original motto, “E Pluribus Unum” (From many [come] one). Never has it been more important for each individual to band together with others by publicly denouncing Trump’s proposed hostile takeover of elections.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, which necessarily must join forces with others to protect our democracy in order to function as a state/church watchdog, is monitoring the situation.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters of nontheism. With more than 42,000 members, FFRF advocates for freethinkers’ rights across the globe. For more information, visit ffrf.org.

The post FFRF: Resist Trump’s proposed move to destroy voter access and fair elections appeared first on Freedom From Religion Foundation.