18 hours Ago By Megha Rawat
US President Donald Trump’s recently signed executive order to overhaul the nation’s elections is now facing new legal challenges, as Democratic officials from 19 states have filed a lawsuit to block it. They argue the order is unconstitutional and infringes on states’ rights to conduct their own elections. The executive order, aimed at tightening election regulations in the US, mandates that voters provide documentary proof of citizenship for registration and that all ballots be received by Election Day.
It also requires states to collaborate with federal agencies to share voter lists, prosecute election-related crimes, and risks funding cuts for non-compliance. “The President has no power to do any of this,” the state attorneys general wrote in court documents, as reported by the Associated Press. "The Elections EO is unconstitutional, antidemocratic, and un-American.
" Also Read | Trump Set To Pause $510 Million Federal Endowment For Brown University: Reports Trump’s order claims the US has failed “to enforce basic and necessary election protection.” However, election officials maintain that recent elections were among the most secure in the nation’s history, with no evidence of widespread fraud-even during the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden. The order reflects Trump’s longstanding complaints over how US elections are conducted.
Following his 2016 victory, he falsely claimed that millions of illegal votes had cost him the popular vote. After losing in 2020, he again alleged, without evidence, that the election was "rigged" through widespread fraud and manipulated voting machines. Trump argues that his order is meant to protect elections from illegal voting by noncitizens, despite multiple state-led studies and investigations consistently showing that such instances are extremely rare.
Also Read: 'Hands Off!' Anti-Trump Protests In US On April 5: All You Need To Know The order has been praised by top election officials in several Republican-led states, who believe it could help prevent voter fraud and provide access to federal data to more effectively maintain accurate voter rolls. The order mandates that states reject any mail-in or absentee ballots received after Election Day and threatens to withhold federal funding from states that fail to comply. This clashes with existing practices in some states, where ballots postmarked by Election Day are still counted, or voters are allowed to fix minor ballot errors.
The lawsuit argues that forcing states to make these changes would violate the Constitution, which grants states broad authority to set their own election rules. It emphasises that states have the power to determine the “times, places, and manner” of conducting elections. While the Constitution grants Congress the authority to “make or alter” election regulations-at least for federal offices-it does not provide the president with any direct power over election administration.
“We are a democracy – not a monarchy – and this executive order is an authoritarian power grab,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, as reported by AP. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News, World and around the world..
