>> President Donald Trump wants to change how elections are run.

Trump says he's working on an executive order to ban mail-in ballots and voting machines as an effort to eliminate voter fraud.

Despite election officials saying such fraud is extremely rare.

Mail-in ballots are corrupt.

>> Mail in ballots where you can never have.

A real democracy with mail-in ballots.

And we, as a Republican Party going do everything possible that we get rid of Mill is also going to start with an executive order that's being written right now by the best lawyers in the country to end mail in ballots because they corrupt.

You know, that we're the only country in the world.

I believe I may be wrong.

But just about the only country in the world that uses it because of what's happened.

Massive fraud all over the place.

>> But advocates say such a move would reduce voting access, disenfranchising people who can't vote in person and that the president can't unilaterally make such changes.

Joining us to discuss more, our Betty Magnus, a vice president at the League of Women, Voters of Chicago, Ryan Tolley executive director at Change, Illinois and new group to interim executive director at the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights.

Thank you all for joining us.

We appreciate you being here.

Thank you for having think so.

They Does the president have the authority to eliminate mail-in voting with just a simple executive order?

Absolutely not.

The article one of the Constitution states that.

States actually have the right to determine the time and manner of elections.

That includes how mail-in votes.

>> Work, whether we allow them, whether we don't, the president does not have the authority respective.

>> What he says to pretty straightforward there in the Constitution.

Now, you know, in the 2024 general election, more than a million votes were cast by mail accounting for 19% of the total votes here in Illinois.

But magnet.

Why is it important to have mail-in ballots as an option for voters?

are a number reasons.

One reason people with disabilities can always get to the polling place.

>> The other reason is senior citizens don't always have the time or have an individual in the family who can take them to the polling place.

So if they get a ballot, they can fill it out.

They can mail it if they don't trust the post office, they can even take Uber early voting site and just put it in the ups.

Going about their business.

They also have the ability to watch the news.

Find out about candidates and then fill out their ballot in the.

Lich early fashion so that they can cool day one in be sure of who they want and then send it in.

You know, it's just unconscionable that he would think that mail In-ballots Annette's 8, Illinois.

He's the best voting laws in this country.

Not just one, not just into Congo, just in the city, but in the country.

We have the most lenient voting laws.

And if you talk about balance when you vote, you vote by machine.

But you also cast a ballot which runs you can run it back and see it.

So there's a paper ballot to go along with putting on a machine that voting by mail has been the election re in.

Right.

Most seniors and persons with disabilities.

>> Well, you know, how about that?

You know, Ryan, that the president's made several claims about mail in ballots or about voting machines leading to fraud.

Is there any evidence of that?

The simple answer is no.

>> There's been no evidence that mail-in ballots lead to fraud here in Illinois.

We have a robust system to check and ensure you know, the press about go through to be reviewed and on to ensure they're legitimate.

The check signatures on those ballots.

Ensure the signatures match.

If there's an issue with the ballot, they contact the voter and say here's issues.

They have a cure period, too, and sure that that's corrected.

But there it in Illinois, across the country.

There's been no evidence that mail-in ballot leads to fraud or that there have been any widespread or any really minor issues with the system, guards to traditional boating weather.

That's on Election Day early voting.

>> In my day and that.

When you send in your request for ballot and mostly news have e-mails now, they get email that says we received your request.

They get email that we mailed your ballot when you mail your ballot or if you take it to a drop box, they get email that says when perceived your belt so Illinois boards of election are in constant contact with the voter who has a mail-in ballot.

So there's no way there could be any fraud.

>> you have any want to add some, I was just going to say that.

I think it's actually the opposite, which is all the evidence and data suggest that.

Mail-in ballots are really effective and legitimate way of voting.

So.

I don't there is no data that suggests that fraud occurs with mail in ballots happen.

Yes, certainly there's that chain of custody there.

But I mean, you know, when when there is sort of misinformation or disinformation about the safety, the lack of efficacy of.

>> Vote by mail of voting machines.

How do you combat that?

So I I think we need to talk about voting like we talk about love is blind.

to.

>> We need to talk about voting.

>> All the time with our friends, with our communities.

That is how we combat disinformation.

>> Around the fact that mail-in ballots are corrupt.

They're not they're perfectly legitimate and safe.

I also just want to add that lawyers Committee for Civil Rights has a hotline.

8, 6, 6, our vote.

We talk with voters.

If you have questions, we are happy to answer them.

Are lawyers are experts.

>> You know that that idea of rhetoric casting doubt on election integrity, as we've heard multiple recent elections, you know, rain is that have the potential to depress voter turnout of people have don't feel confident in the integrity of the system.

Yes, absolutely.

And we do voter education all the time, particularly in light of some of the actions of the federal ministration because it confuses people.

People don't know.

They hear something.

And the news that's being considered, they think it's the way things operate now or they hear it from, you know, local community groups.

And so.

creates a lot of confusion.

People don't know and the harder we make it for people to vote they're just less likely to with the busyness of their day-to-day lives.

And so really for us, that's been a big part.

Even pre-dating.

The most recent announcement announcement with the introduction of the save act earlier in the year other executive orders by the current administration.

We've had to do a lot of work to say to folks know mail-in ballots are still available to, you know, you do not need these onerous and more forms of ID to register to cast your vote.

So we're already experiencing some of that and it's only going to get worse.

The more and more that, you know, these tactics are used to try to scare mothers It could just add for anyone watching tonight that.

>> What the president has suggested is not law.

There's no executive order.

He doesn't have the authority to do it.

yours.

The position.

Yeah, right.

Your ballot, your mail in ballots are effective and legitimate there's no reason not to put in the mail in ballot.

>> And if you repeat a lie often enough, people believe So when he's repeating a lie saying good organizations like ours have to continuously say that is not true.

It is safe.

If you try to before, you know, it works.

So all of the seniors and people with disabilities who have used mail-in ballots know that it works and we just have to keep repeating.

It's our responsibility as leaders of organizations who for honest and a Democratic election to continue to say the truth is Upton is of those tell a lie.

And certainly, you know, many of the communities you mention often ones that have been disenfranchised in the past anywhere in any case.

>> You know, get back to your Ryan about, you know, more calls to prove voter citizenship.

We've also seen the Department of Justice demanding units are sensitive voter records from the state of Illinois.

Do you think we could see or are we already seeing the federal government trying to play more of a a role, have a heavier hand in how states run elections?

Absolutely.

I think we're seeing there are a number of tactics like this.

The threats of an executive order like request from the Department of Justice for voter Records in the state of Illinois and others.

>> It seems like they're prodding every way they can to add distrust and sow doubt.

And the the election system.

And it really, I think.

Where we find a very concerning is this kind of feels as though we're this is like that ramping up as we get closer to the 2026 election for more dis-information and it is very concerning for us as an organization wants everyone to go out and exercise their right to vote and do that.

through easy and accessible means.

We've got about 30 seconds left, they do.

I want to ask, you know, what sort of complications could that create, particularly for local election officials if there is?

>> More of an effort to federalize at least have a stronger federal role in how elections are run.

>> Currently the federal government doesn't have a role in how elections are run.

So up until that happens, and that can only happen by an act of Congress.

Right now.

States are the ones that determine how elections are run.

So until something else happens, Illinois, we'll decide how mail-in ballots come in and when they come on much more to say, I'm sure in the run-up to next year's midterms, but that's where we'll have to