Washington, D.C. – Today, President Trump signed an executive order creating a commission to examine cases of voter fraud in American elections. Despite an absence of any evidence demonstrating widespread voter fraud in American elections, President Trump has falsely and repeatedly claimed that millions of ineligible voters cast ballots in the 2016 presidential election. Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) releases the following statement:

“Donald Trump has done more to undermine the legitimacy of our democracy than any president in recent history,” said Rep. Sewell. “Today’s executive order uses a fake issue to cast doubt on the integrity of our elections all while laying the foundation for laws that disenfranchise our nation’s minority voters. If President Trump is truly interested in strengthening the security of our democracy, his first priority should be to ensure that our elections are protected from Russian interference. That is an issue founded on real evidence confirmed by 17 of our nation’s intelligence agencies. If this President wants to protect that sanctity of our vote, he should support an investigation into voter suppression tactics and work with Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act (VRA). But instead, President Trump has chosen to funnel our taxpayer dollars into a sham commission that confirms his worst biases.”

On March 8, 2017, Reps. Elijah Cummings, Terri Sewell, Derek Kilmer, and 51 other House Democrats sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence urging the Administration to investigate voter suppression as part of any investigation into voting irregularities in the 2016 elections.

Rep. Sewell has repeatedly urged the Administration to stop offering false information on voter fraud and to refocus its efforts on preventing voter suppression. Millions of eligible voters, including an estimated 250,000 Alabamians, do not have the required identification to vote in elections where strict ID laws are present.

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Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) is serving her fourth term representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional district. She sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and was recently appointed to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Sewell is a Chief Deputy Whip and serves on the prestigious Steering and Policy Committee of the Democratic Caucus. She is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and serves as Vice Chair of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, and Vice Chair of Outreach for the New Democrat Coalition.