Taking to Twitter on Thursday morning, President Donald Trump suggested the November presidential election could be delayed until Americans can vote in person safely without having to mail in their ballots.
The president does not have the power to delay the election: That would have to come from Congress.
We asked Alaska’s congressional delegation about Trump’s suggestion. In a series of written statements, here’s what they said as of 10 a.m. Alaska time:
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska
“There is absolutely no reason to delay this election, and it is not going to happen. It’s incumbent on us to ensure safe and secure elections, and that’s exactly what the Congress has been doing. Congress, not the President, has the power under the Constitution to set the date of elections, and we have done so by statute. Americans have voted in federal elections during the Civil War, the 1918 pandemic, and other calamities.”
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska
“Senator Sullivan does not support delaying the election,” wrote Mike Anderson, a spokesman for Sullivan.
Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska
“Congressman Young stands behind the powers granted by the Constitution to the states, allowing them to choose the way their elections are held. State powers are broad, but not absolute. As such, the election date is set by federal law, and can only be changed by an act of Congress,” wrote Zack Brown, Young’s press secretary.
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