Secretary of State John Merrill joins joint letter to rescind executive order “Promoting Access to Voting”
Last week, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill and 14 other Secretaries of State sent a joint letter to President Joe Biden asking him to rescind Executive Order 14019. According to Health Resources and Services Administration, Executive Order 14019, “Promoting Access to Voting,” aims to promote and defend the right to vote for all Americans who are legally entitled to participate in elections. The order also expands access to, and education about, voter registration and election information, and combats misinformation, in order to enable all eligible Americans to participate in our democracy. The letter states, “Executive Order 14019 was issued without Constitutional authority nor Congressional approval. Executive Order 14019 calls for federal agencies to develop plans that duplicate voter registration efforts conducted at the state level and ignores codified procedures and programs in our state constitutions and laws. “If implemented, the Executive Order would also erode the responsibilities and duties of the state legislatures to their situational authority within the Elections Clause.” Secretary Merrill stated, “Not only is the administration of the election process a responsibility delegated to the states by the U.S. Constitution, but these unique policy decisions are best left to state officials. President Biden’s Executive Order 14019 is another example of the federal overreach and this administration’s attempt to federalize the election process.” Secretaries of State who joined Merrill in signing the letter include John Thurston (Arkansas), Cord Byrd (Florida), Brad Raffensberger (Georgia), Lawrence Denney (Idaho), Holli Sullivan (Indiana), Christi Jacobsen (Montana), Bob Evnen (Nebraska), Frank LaRose (Ohio), Steve Barnette (South Dakota), Tre Hargett (Tennessee), Mac Warner (West Virginia), and Ed Buchanan (Wyoming).
