Congressional Democrats filed a lawsuit Thursday against President Trump’s executive order that imposes stricter standards to obtain absentee ballots and tighten security measures around their use.
Teaming up in the suit are House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Governors Association and the Democratic National Committee.
Mr. Trump on Wednesday ordered Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and the Social Security Administration to compile lists of verified U.S. citizens eligible to vote in each state.
He also directed the U.S. Postal Service to send absentee ballots only to those on the approved lists.
Ballots will have to be mailed in certain envelopes with unique bar codes, making it easier for the government to track them.
Also, states will be required to provide their lists of confirmed eligible voters to the federal government no less than 60 days before a federal election.
Democrats say the order is an attempt by Republicans to “interfere in free and fair elections.”
The federal list of voters the Trump administration deems eligible to receive a mail-in ballot is a “clear violation of the Constitution,” the Democrats say.
They say this attack on vote-by-mail is an affront to Americans’ constitutional rights and disproportionately affects working families, seniors, Americans with disabilities, and members of the military who rely on mail voting to make their voices heard in elections.
Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Schumer of New York, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, Democratic Governors Association Chair Andy Beshear and Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a joint statement that Mr. Trump is “desperately trying to rig our elections by making it harder to vote for seniors, Americans with disabilities, members of the military, rural communities, and other working families who rely on vote-by-mail.
“This move is blatantly unconstitutional, and we will fight against it. We are taking action to challenge Trump’s executive order to protect the right to vote and ensure every eligible American can make their voice heard at the ballot box.”
