In response to today’s Supreme Court decision empowering the Trump administration to proceed with its aims to restrict access to mail-in voting, Mayor Brandon Johnson issued the following statement:
“By siding with Donald Trump and allowing his administration to restrict voting access while the legal challenge continues, the conservative bloc on the Supreme Court has once again put partisan power ahead of a fundamental principle of our democracy: every American must have a meaningful opportunity to cast their vote and have their voice heard.
“For many, voting by mail is the safest way to cast a ballot and ensures parents of young children, our elderly neighbors, those with disabilities, and hard-working families can participate in our elections while balancing the demands of everyday life.
“This has nothing to do with election integrity. If Trump were serious about protecting our elections, he would make it easier, not harder, to vote. Instead, his order restricts mail-in voting, threatens election officials with prosecution and puts federal agencies in the middle of determining who can receive a ballot.
“These restrictions will hit Black and Brown communities the hardest, and that’s not an accident. Trump and his allies on the Supreme Court have worked overtime to weaken the Voting Rights Act and roll back the protections that have helped ensure equal access to the ballot for generations. Their animus toward Black voters and communities of color is clear, and so is the need to stand up against these attacks.
“Chicago will not stand by and accept efforts to silence voters or undermine their right to decide who represents them. My administration has taken action to uphold the integrity of our elections and protect Chicagoans from efforts to undermine their voice at the ballot box. Through the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr. Fair Access to Democracy Ordinance that I put forth, we are strengthening Chicago’s firewall against Trump’s authoritarian aims while advancing new tools to dispel voter suppression and ensure every Chicagoan can participate fully in the political process.”
