President Trump’s call to delay the election is irresponsible and ignores the Constitution

In response to President Donald Trump’s tweet today suggesting the November election should be delayed, Issue One ReFormers Caucus Co-chairs Amb. Tim Roemer (D-IN) and Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN) released the following statement: 

“The president’s claim, months out from the November election, that it is rigged and somehow ‘corrupt’ is reckless and preposterous, and the suggestion to delay it is equally irresponsible. He cannot delay the election, as our constitution says this can only be altered by Congress. And he is wrong about mail in voting, as there is widespread consensus that it is safe and secure.”

“It is critical for the public to have confidence that they can securely cast their ballot and that every eligible vote will be counted. If people lose their faith in our system, it could mean lasting damage to our democratic institutions.

“Elected officials are duty-bound to protect and support our electoral process, and to hold up the legitimacy of the results. We don’t embrace the results of the election in this country based on the outcome, but based on the process.  

“If the president is concerned about secure and safe voting, he should support the growing bipartisan movement to make sure election officials around the nation have the resources they need, and that voters have a variety of options for casting their vote during this pandemic. 

“The president cannot actually delay the election. But he can sow seeds of doubt that discredit the results in advance. This is not the way our country works. The continuity of our elections is central to our democracy — as enshrined by the Constitution. Every patriotic American needs to speak out, immediately and forcefully, against this attack on our most sacred of institutions.

“We have faced immense challenges as a nation before, but they have never caused us to suspend our democratic process. We will meet and overcome the present challenges, as Americans always have, if we unite to put country over party.”