President Trump’s executive order of March 25, aiming to alter federal election rules, has suffered significant legal setbacks. The order had attempted to mandate that officials require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration, accept only mailed ballots received by Election Day, and condition federal election grant funding on states adhering to this deadline. Critics contended the directive “usurps the States’ constitutional power and seeks to amend election law by fiat.”
Adding to an earlier ruling by a federal judge in Washington, D.C. that blocked parts of the order – specifically the proof-of-citizenship requirement for the federal voter registration form – a federal judge in Massachusetts has now also blocked the president’s broader attempt to overhaul elections.
In Friday’s order, Judge Denise J. Casper of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts stated that the challenging states had a likelihood of success in their legal arguments. “The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” Judge Casper wrote.
Among its provisions, the executive order would have forced states to exclude mail-in or absentee ballots received after Election Day. This directly contradicted the current practice in 18 states and Puerto Rico, which allows ballots to be accepted after Election Day if postmarked by that date, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Furthermore, the order threatened states’ federal funding if they did not comply with this strict deadline.
Blue Press Journal 