The United States Democratic Party has filed a lawsuit against the Donald Trump administration over attempts to implement extensive changes to the country’s election systems.
The changes include requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and restricting the counting of mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day.
On Monday, the Democratic Party filed the lawsuit in a federal court, seeking to block the executive order that prevents states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. Additionally, the order mandates that proof of citizenship—such as a passport—be presented when registering to vote.
“The President does not get to dictate the rules of our elections,” the lawsuit stated. The legal action was filed in Washington by the Democratic National Committee, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and other party leaders.
The lawsuit criticised the executive order, arguing, “The Executive Order seeks to impose radical changes on how Americans register to vote, cast a ballot, and participate in our democracy—all of which threaten to disenfranchise lawful voters and none of which is legal.”
President Donald Trump signed the order on March 25, titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections”. He described it as “the farthest-reaching executive action taken” to secure the integrity of US elections.
Trump, who continues to dispute his loss in the 2020 presidential election, has consistently raised doubts about the integrity of the US electoral system. He has repeatedly promoted unfounded conspiracy theories about widespread election fraud, particularly targeting absentee voting.
Legal experts swiftly condemned Trump’s executive order, labelling it an abuse of presidential power that could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.
In addition to the Democratic Party’s legal challenge, advocacy groups led by the Campaign Legal Center and the State Democracy Defenders Fund also filed a separate lawsuit against the executive order on Monday.
Danielle Lang, of the Campaign Legal Center, strongly criticised the order, stating, “The president’s executive order is an unlawful action that threatens to uproot our tried-and-tested election systems and silence potentially millions of Americans.”
Lang added, “It is simply not within the president’s authority to set election rules by executive decree, especially when they would restrict access to voting in this way.”
