To the editor:

I am writing today on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Wellesley to express our grave concern about the implications for Wellesley of the recent executive order issued by Donald Trump on March 25, 2025 entitled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.” We invite our Wellesley neighbors to join us on April 1, 2025 at 6:00 PM at the Middle School to express our outrage at this brazen assault on our voting rights. The mission of the League of Women Voters is to empower voters and defend democracy. We are appalled that the President continues to overstep his authority and disregards settled law in this country. The burdens this order will place on our voting system here in Wellesley are manifold. The order mandates:

Impermissibly requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote by altering the federal voter registration form. This change will harm the nearly 80% of married women — more than 69 million American women — who adopt their partner’s surname. They would be unable to register to vote if the name on their ID does not directly match their proof of citizenship.
Prohibiting the counting of absentee and mail ballots postmarked by Election Day but received after, which

Giving the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) the authority to review states’ voter rolls.
Withholding federal funds from states that do not cooperate with the order’s provisions.

The League of Women Voters is committed to working with our partners and legal advocates to pursue all avenues in fighting back against this dangerous order, and we will use every tool at our disposal to defend voters from unjust restrictions on their freedom to vote.

We consider the Swellesley Report to be an invaluable partner in our mission to provide voters with information about local civic issues. Thank you for the important work you do in giving us this forum.

Sincerely,

Bonny Nothern
President, League of Women Voters of Wellesley