Nineteen Democrat-led states filed a lawsuit Thursday against President Donald Trumpās executive order requiring proof of citizenship to vote.
In the lawsuit, attorneys general from 19 states called to block provisions of Trumpās executive order, alleging the president is attempting to āseize control of electionsā in an unconstitutional manner. The lawsuit was filed by Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.
āThe Elections EO violates the Constitution. It interferes with Statesā inherent sovereignty and their constitutional power to regulate the time, place, and manner of federal elections,ā the lawsuit states.
āIt also usurps Congressās powers to legislate (under the Elections Clause) and to appropriate (under the Spending Clause) because Congress has not chosen to implement the changes the President seeks to impose by decree,ā the lawsuit said. āThe critical funds at issue have in large measure already been appropriated by Congress.ā
On March 25, Trump signed an executive order to āprotect the integrityā of U.S. elections, mandating voter ācitizenship verification ā and banning foreign nationals from interfering in U.S. elections. The order also directed attorneys general to collaborate with state election officials to ensure compliance, placing conditions on federal funding to whether states require voter ID.
āFree, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion are fundamental to maintaining our constitutional Republic. The right of American citizens to have their votes properly counted and tabulated, without illegal dilution, is vital to determining the rightful winner of an election,ā Trump wrote.
Over the years, states like California, Oregon, New Mexico, Minnesota, Illinois, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Hawaii and Maryland have enacted laws that no longer require documentation to vote.
According to the lawsuit, the attorneys general argue that the order āsows confusion and sets the stage for chaos,ā as states will need to allocate staff and resources for new training, testing, voter education and coordination, or risk losing federal funding.
āDonald Trumpās Executive Order to seize control of our elections, intimidate voters, and attack Americansā right to vote is unconstitutional and undemocratic. Iām suing to stop the Presidentās authoritarian power grab and protect peopleās right to vote and our democracy,ā New York Attorney General Letitia James wrote on X.
(Featured Image Media Credit:Ā Screen Capture/CSPAN)
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporterās byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with US, please contactĀ [email protected].