Leaders of the Democratic Party filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing the president’s latest attempt to restrict mail-in voting is unconstitutional and an overreach of federal authority.
It also bars the Postal Service from delivering ballots to people not on a state’s approved mail-in voter list and requires ballots to be secured in barcode-tracked envelopes.
The lawsuit, filed by the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Governors Association, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), argues that the Constitution gives states, not the federal government, primary authority over election administration.
“The Executive Order’s provisions are convoluted and confusing,” the lawsuit reads. “What is clear is that it dramatically restricts the ability of Americans to vote by mail, impinging on traditional state authority.”
The Trump administration emphasized its focus on securing elections, criticizing the Democrats’ lawsuit.
“Only Democrat politicians and operatives would be upset about lawful efforts to secure American elections and ensure only eligible American citizens are casting ballots,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “President Trump campaigned on securing our elections and the American people sent him back to the White House to get the job done.”
The legal challenge comes as little surprise. Democratic leaders quickly and forcefully condemned the order after it was signed.
“Republican extremists are determined to make it harder for people to vote so they can desperately cling to power,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in a Tuesday statement.
Schumer struck a similarly combative tone, writing on X: “See you in court. You will lose.”
Trump’s executive action appears to sidestep Congress as the SAVE America Act remains stalled during a two-week Easter and Passover recess. The act would require voter identification to cast a ballot and proof of citizenship to register.
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At a signing ceremony on Tuesday, Trump brushed aside concerns about legal challenges.
“I don’t know how it can be challenged. … You may find a rogue judge,” he told reporters. “You get a lot of rogue judges, very bad, bad people, very bad judges. But that’s the only way that can be changed, and hopefully we’ll win an appeal.”
