Human rights groups have expressed concern about President Trump’s efforts to change election administration ahead of November’s midterm elections.
About 20 Democratic-led states have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration seeking to block an executive order that would place new restrictions on mail-in voting.
Friday’s lawsuit comes as voting rights groups accuse President Trump of trying to make it more difficult to vote in the lead up to November’s midterm elections.
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Meanwhile, President Trump insists his efforts are aimed at countering rampant voter fraud in U.S. elections.
This opinion contradicts findings from independent election watchdogs, including the conservative Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation’s decades-long database shows that the incidence of election fraud is extremely low.
New York Attorney General Letitia James was among the attorneys general of 23 states and the District of Columbia who filed the lawsuit Friday, along with Pennsylvania’s governor.
In a statement, she argued that President Trump’s executive order exceeds executive authority.
“Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of democracy, and no president has the power to rewrite the rules on his own,” James said.
President Trump’s latest executive order, signed Tuesday, requires the Department of Homeland Security to “develop and transmit” a list of U.S. citizens eligible to vote in each state.
It also requires the United States Postal Service (USPS) to “send ballots only to individuals registered on state-specific vote-by-mail and absentee participation lists and ensure that only eligible absentee or mail-in voters receive absentee or mail-in ballots.”
Voter groups said the measure would likely rely on an incomplete federal list of U.S. citizens and would place undue responsibility on the USPS.
Voting by mail has increased across the country, especially in states that lean both Republican and Democratic in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In the 2024 election, one-third of all votes were cast by mail.
In Friday’s lawsuit, the states argue that President Trump’s order violates the U.S. Constitution, which says state officials determine the “time, place and manner” of elections.
Additionally, states argue that only Congress can pass new restrictions on how elections are conducted. Forcing changes in election administration so close to the November election would also cause chaos, according to the complaint.
Midterm elections will determine which political party controls the U.S. House and Senate.
President Trump has previously expressed concern that he could face impeachment proceedings if Republicans lose their majority in both chambers.
Trump has long claimed, without evidence, that his 2020 election loss was the result of widespread fraud and promised to reform the voting system.
He previously signed executive orders calling for an overhaul of U.S. election administration, most of which have been blocked by the court system.
The Justice Department has also sued several states seeking access to voter information, and the FBI added to concerns by seizing 2020 election ballots during a raid in Fulton County, Georgia, last January.
Meanwhile, President Trump is asking lawmakers to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to submit documents proving their U.S. citizenship, such as birth certificates, passports and photo IDs needed to vote, when registering to vote.
Human rights groups warned that the move could disenfranchise many voters, including women who have married and changed their surnames.
