Nonprofit groups and Democrats have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration over an election executive order, calling it unconstitutional.
The big picture: The Campaign Legal Center and the State Democracy Defenders Fund filed the first lawsuit, followed by a complaint from the DNC, Democratic Governors Association, and Senate and House Democratic leaders.
- The lawsuits, filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, seek to block Trump’s executive order and declare it illegal.
Driving the news: The order, which includes a proof-of-citizenship requirement for voter registration and new ballot deadline rules, has faced legal challenges for potentially violating the US Constitution.
- Experts argue that the president’s order oversteps authority by trying to regulate an independent agency, the US Election Assistance Commission, which sets voting system guidelines.
- The legal challenges emphasize the importance of the Constitution’s Election Clause, which gives states, not the president, authority over election rules.
Go deeper: Critics of the executive order claim it could disenfranchise voters and violate privacy rights by sharing sensitive personal information with the Department of Government Efficiency.
- Trump has defended the order as a measure to prevent illegal voting by noncitizens, although studies show such occurrences are rare.
- Voting rights advocates, including the ACLU and Democratic state attorneys general, are considering additional legal action against the order.
