A major legal battle has erupted over the future of American elections as 23 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit on Friday.
The coalition is moving to stop the recent executive order issued by Trump that aims to overhaul mail-in voting procedures, claiming the mandate oversteps federal authority and violates the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, argues that Trump lacks the legal standing to dictate how states manage their electoral systems.
According to the filing, the directive attempts to “transgress Plaintiff States’ constitutional power to prescribe the time, place, and manner of federal elections” and seeks to “amend and dictate election law by fiat based on the President’s whims.”
Signed this past Tuesday, just months before the November midterms, the executive order introduces strict new hurdles for mail voting. It tasks the Department of Homeland Security with creating State Citizenship Lists and forbids the U.S. Postal Service from delivering ballots to anyone not appearing on those specific federal rolls. Additionally, the order mandates unique tracking barcodes on all mail-in envelopes, threatening to strip federal funding from states that do not comply.
The states involved in the suit warn that this move “violates bedrock principles of federalism and separation of powers.” They maintain that election oversight is a power reserved for the states and Congress, not the executive branch. “The EO disregards States’ inherent sovereignty and attempts to arrogate to the President the States’ and Congress’s constitutional power to regulate federal elections,” the states wrote.
While Trump has frequently characterized mail-in voting as “cheating,” critics point out that his family all utilized mail ballots as recently as last month for a Florida special election. Furthermore, despite claims of widespread fraud or noncitizen voting, such instances remain statistically rare and are already classified as federal crimes.
This executive action follows a push for the SAVE America Act, which seeks to mandate in-person proof of citizenship for voter registration.
While that bill passed the House in February, it faces a steep climb in the Senate. This isn’t the first attempt to reshape election rules; a similar executive order from last year remains tied up in the court system after key portions were blocked.
If the mail-in Ballot would be discontinued, it would be a violation of a citizens voting right. We have soldiers who are serving overseas and citizens who may, due to physical challenges, are unable to personal attend to vote. it looks like these circumstances are not taken in consideration by the Trump administration.