Blue States Sue to Block Trump’s Mail Ballot Crackdown
23 states challenge Trump’s mail-in voting restrictions, sparking a legal showdown over election control and constitutional authority in the US.
Leaders from 23 Democratic-led U.S. states have filed a lawsuit seeking to block new restrictions imposed on voting by mail. These restrictions were issued through an executive order signed earlier this week by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit argues that the President lacks the constitutional authority to interfere in elections, as the conduct of elections is the responsibility of state governments.
According to the lawsuit, these new rules "infringe upon the plaintiff states' constitutional power to determine the time, place, and manner of federal elections" and "attempt to unilaterally amend and dictate election laws based on the President's whim."
The U.S. Constitution grants states the authority to oversee federal elections, while Congress holds the power to make changes to them.
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Trump has claimed—without providing any evidence—that voting by mail is rife with widespread voter fraud. He noted that he recently voted by mail in Florida, citing his status as the President of the United States. His son and wife have also cast their votes by mail in recent elections.
Trump's order, signed on Tuesday, directs the government to compile a list of all citizens eligible to vote.
It also instructs the U.S. Postal Service to "send ballots only to those individuals who are registered on a specific state's 'vote-by-mail and absentee voter list'; doing so will ensure that only eligible absentee or vote-by-mail voters receive ballots."
One of the Democrats involved in the lawsuit, New York Attorney General Letitia James, stated: "Free and fair elections are the bedrock of our democracy, and no president has the power to unilaterally alter election rules."
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Legal experts express skepticism regarding whether Trump actually possesses the authority to enact such sweeping changes to the manner in which states conduct elections. It is unlikely that these new rules will be implemented before the midterm elections scheduled for November—elections that are set to determine the balance of power in the U.S. Congress.
A judge has already blocked another of Trump's executive orders related to elections. That order had threatened to withhold federal election funding from any state that failed to comply with the President's directives.
This latest executive order comes at a time when Trump is pressuring Congress to pass the 'SAVE America Act.' If enacted, this legislation would bring about sweeping changes to voting regulations in the United States, making it mandatory to provide proof of U.S. citizenship in order to cast a vote.
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