On Thursday, 19 Democratic attorney generals filed a lawsuit against President Trump’s executive order that seeks to enhance proof of citizenship requirements in voting and to halt the counting of mail-in ballots received after Election Day.
New lawsuit This adds to three existing lawsuits initiated by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and different coalitions of private organizations claiming that Trump has breached the separation of powers and exceeded his authority.
“This is stressed. The president does not have the authority to do this,” states the state complaint. “The Constitution and Congress do not permit the President to enforce documentary proof of citizenship mandates or alter the state’s mail-in procedures.”
Trump’s directive, signed on March 25th, instructs the Attorney General to focus on states that are counting absentee or mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day. Legal challenges regarding its legitimacy began long before Trump’s presidency.
Furthermore, the president mandated that federal mail voter registration forms and postcard applications for overseas voters should require documentary proof of citizenship.
“Should the plaintiff states opt not to adhere to the President’s clearly unconstitutional effort to promote the president’s legislation, they face significant reductions in federal funding that may disrupt the national electoral process.
The White House has previously defended the legal move by stating that Trump’s order was “a measure to safeguard the integrity of American elections” and that “Democrats continue to show their disregard for the Constitution.”
States leading the case include California and Nevada, along with Massachusetts, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
This new lawsuit will be incorporated with three different cases submitted earlier this week. This involves plaintiffs such as the DNC, NAACP, and the United Latin American Citizens’ Federation.
