To The Editor:
RE: The Right to Vote Under Threat: Defending Access to Mail Voting
The League of Women Voters issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit’s decision concerning President Trump’s executive order on mail voting.
The court’s ruling does not diminish what remains fundamentally at stake: the freedom to vote is a cornerstone of American democracy. Yet, only months before the 2026 midterm elections, voters are once again being compelled to navigate uncertainty and rules governing ballot access. Such instability is not merely frustrating; it risks undermining voter participation and public confidence in the electoral process.
The Constitution establishes that states bear primary responsibility for administering elections. Accordingly, voters are entitled to election laws and procedures that are clear, consistent, transparent and designed to facilitate participation, not policies that generate confusion or impose unnecessary barriers to voting. It is deeply troubling that eligible Americans must remain vigilant against efforts originating at the highest levels of government that could restrict or complicate their ability to exercise a fundamental constitutional right.
Mail voting is a secure, reliable and widely trusted means of participating in our democracy. Millions of Americans, including older adults, military families, rural residents, people with disabilities, caregivers and working people, depend on the accessibility and flexibility mail voting provides. Efforts to restrict access to mail ballots therefore have consequences that extend well beyond administrative procedure: they risk disenfranchising eligible voters and eroding public confidence in the integrity and accessibility of our elections.
The executive order threatens to introduce further uncertainty and apprehension into an already consequential electoral process. By creating ambiguity about how and whether voters may cast their ballots by mail, it risks deterring eligible citizens from participating altogether. When government action creates voter uncertainty about whether they can exercise their fundamental right to vote, democracy itself is weakened.
The League of Women Voters remains deeply concerned about the executive order and its implications for voter access. As the 2026 midterm elections approach, Americans must recognize the power of their participation and ensure that confusion, intimidation or unnecessary administrative barriers do not silence their voices.
The League will continue to challenge policies that threaten free, fair, accessible and inclusive elections. We remain committed to protecting every eligible voter’s ability to participate fully in our democracy.
Democracy is strongest when every eligible voter can exercise the right to vote without unnecessary barriers, uncertainty or intimidation. The American people deserve election systems that protect that right, not policies that place it at risk.
Eileen J. Marum
Chair, League of Women Voters SouthCoast
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