While a dozen senators, including Sen. Cynthia Lummis, have stated their plans to object when members of Congress meet today to count and confirm the Electoral College votes, the American Civil Liberties Union urges Congress to oppose the efforts led by President Trump to trample the will of the American electorate. The ACLU's position today is consistent with its position after the 2000 election, when it did not support efforts to block Congress from counting Florida's Electoral College votes for George W. Bush, despite disagreement with the Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Gore.
The following statement can be attributed to Antonio Serrano, ACLU of Wyoming advocacy manager:
“Sen. Lummis and her colleagues will violate their constitutional oath to protect and defend the Constitution if they wrongly object to properly state-certified electoral votes. They will also inflict lasting damage to our republic and to our democratic norms of self-governance and undermine the will of voters. This effort is illegitimate and based on false allegations of voter fraud — a trope used throughout our country’s history to target the voting rights and political power of racial minorities. Despite over 60 legal challenges that were filed to subvert the will of the people, the courts, federal and state, have been unanimous: Our legal system cannot be used to steal an election.
“The people have voted — even amidst a pandemic and despite deliberate barriers to the polls. Now, it’s time for members of Congress to do their job and, in accordance with the Constitution, count the votes for president and vice president that have been certified by the states. Voters — not the courts and not Congress — decide elections.”
About the ACLU of Wyoming
The American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU of Wyoming is part of a three-state chapter that also includes North Dakota and South Dakota. The team in Wyoming is supported by staff in those states.
The ACLU believes freedoms of press, speech, assembly, and religion, and the rights to due process, equal protection and privacy, are fundamental to a free people. In addition, the ACLU seeks to advance constitutional protections for groups traditionally denied their rights, including people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit communities. The ACLU of Wyoming carries out its work through selective litigation, lobbying at the state and local level, and through public education and awareness of what the Bill of Rights means for the people of Wyoming.
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