Federal Judge Upholds Executive Order on Mail-in Voting

A federal judge denied a request on Thursday to block President Donald Trump’s executive order regarding mail-in voting. This decision is seen as a setback for Democrats, who claim the order could disenfranchise a significant number of voters.

Signed on March 31, the executive order instructs the Department of Homeland Security to compile a list of all adult U.S. citizens in each state, and directs the USPS to send mail-in ballots only to those individuals. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, appointed by Trump, determined that the appeal to block the order was premature.

In his ruling, Nichols wrote, “Given that the Executive Order does not direct Plaintiffs to do anything and that no agency has acted on the order in a manner that could potentially harm Plaintiffs, Plaintiffs have not suffered any damages at this time.” Consequently, he denied their motion for a preliminary injunction.

Democratic Legal Action Following Order

Democrats and various voting rights organizations contended that regulating federal elections falls under the jurisdiction of state legislatures and Congress, not the president. They argued that the order may compel the USPS to establish election procedures that exceed its authority.

On the other hand, Trump’s executive order is positioned as an effort to enforce federal voting laws, which he claims is mandated under Article 2 of the Constitution. Plaintiffs in court noted that the order might infringe on states’ constitutional rights to manage their elections. However, Nichols deemed this argument too speculative for the moment, nor did he make a ruling on the substance of the Democrats’ claims, stating they could apply for another injunction if enforcement of the executive order were to begin.

Concerns Over Data Accuracy

One major issue for Democrats is that the executive order mandates DHS to utilize data from the Social Security Administration, which may contain inaccuracies that could result in some voters being disqualified. Trump’s order aims to ensure that citizenship lists are sent to states within 60 days of a federal election, allowing individuals and states a chance to rectify inaccuracies as necessary.

President Trump has long asserted that mail-in voting is susceptible to widespread fraud, although election officials and experts frequently argue that such fraud is extremely rare. Interestingly, while many voters across both major parties utilize mail-in voting, it’s noticed that Democrats tend to do so more consistently.

As of now, the White House has not commented on the issue as of Thursday.