The Democratic Party has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over an executive order aimed at implementing significant changes to the U.S. election system. The order includes requirements for proof of citizenship to register to vote and restrictions on counting mail-in ballots.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, calls for a federal court to block the executive order, which mandates that mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day will not be counted. Additionally, the directive requires citizens to present proof of citizenship, such as a passport, when registering to vote.
"The President does not get to dictate the rules of our elections," the lawsuit, filed in Washington by the Democratic National Committee, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and others, stated.
The filing also argued that the executive order seeks to impose "radical changes" that could disenfranchise lawful voters, adding that these changes are illegal.
Following the signing of the March 25 order titled "Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections," President Donald Trump described it as "the farthest-reaching executive action taken" to secure U.S. elections. Trump, who has not acknowledged his loss in the 2020 presidential election, has repeatedly and baselessly claimed that widespread election fraud, particularly with absentee voting, undermined the election's integrity.
Legal experts quickly criticized the order, arguing it represents an abuse of presidential power and could prevent millions of eligible voters from participating in elections.
In a separate legal action, advocacy groups, including the Campaign Legal Center and State Democracy Defenders Fund, filed their own lawsuit against the executive order on Monday.
Danielle Lang of the Campaign Legal Center condemned the order, calling it "an unlawful action" that threatens to disrupt established election systems and silence millions of Americans.
"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," Lang said in a statement.
