Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) escalated his criticism of President Trump's voting policies on Tuesday, describing them as the "most serious challenge" to the U.S. constitutional system since the Civil War. The Senate Judiciary Committee's top Democrat made the remarks during a CNN interview, responding to questions about Democratic efforts to safeguard voting rights.
Asked whether Democrats have a concrete plan to secure voter rights, Durbin acknowledged repeated attempts but stressed the difficulty of advancing legislation as the minority party. "The right to vote is critical to citizenship, and this president is clearly on a mission to discourage people from voting and to not count all the votes that are cast," Durbin said. "I think this is the most serious challenge to our basic constitutional form of government since the Civil War. I think it's that serious. And yes, we're doing everything we can, but as a minority party, we need more votes."
The comments come after the Supreme Court blocked an executive order that would have required states to submit voter lists to receive mail ballots—a move Trump has pushed despite lacking evidence of widespread fraud. The high court's decision, which included three Trump-appointed justices siding with the liberal minority, drew sharp rebuke from the president, who accused those justices of being "merely a shell of their original selves."
Durbin warned that Trump is likely to continue efforts to restrict mail-in voting ahead of the 2028 election. "We are prepared for the likelihood that this president will do anything in his power to discourage people from voting, to not count the votes that are cast and to question the qualifications of voters at every level," he said. "He is desperate because this is a referendum on his leadership and he is doing poorly with the American people."
The Supreme Court's ruling also blocked a separate attempt to impose new design requirements—including an official logo and barcode—on ballots before Election Day, which critics argued could disrupt mail delivery. A whistleblower had previously warned that the U.S. Postal Service's computer system was riddled with errors that could cause a "catastrophic failure" and derail the midterm elections, according to a letter from Sen. Richard Blumenthal's (D-Conn.) office.
Trump has also urged GOP leaders to eliminate the Senate filibuster to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register and photo ID to vote. The legislation has stalled, though some Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), have floated attaching parts of it to a reconciliation package.
Durbin's remarks highlight the deepening partisan divide over election administration, with Democrats framing the issue as a fundamental threat to democracy. The Supreme Court's decision has become a flashpoint, and the midterm referendum on Trump's leadership is shaping up to be a high-stakes battle over voting access.
Meanwhile, the spending scrutiny and the court's block on the mail-in voting order have added to the administration's challenges, as Democrats press for broader reforms. Durbin's warning underscores the urgency Democrats feel, even as they concede the limits of their influence in the current Congress.
