Nineteen states are suing over President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order on voting that he signed last week, saying it is “an unconstitutional attempt to seize control of elections” that will create barriers to voting that could disenfranchise millions.

The lawsuit, which is the fourth legal challenge so far against the executive order, calls on a federal district court in Massachusetts to block several provisions of the executive order, which the attorneys general argue “usurps the States’ constitutional power and seeks to amend election law by fiat.”

The lawsuit is filed by Democratic attorneys general from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

“We are a democracy — not a monarchy — and this Executive Order is an authoritarian power grab,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James in a statement. “With this Order, this President is prioritizing his own quest for unchecked power above the rights and will of the public.”

Trump’s March 25 order seeks to make dramatic changes to voting and election administration and threatens that if states do not comply they could lose federal funds and face potential action from the U.S. attorney general.

Among the changes, the executive order directs the Election Assistance Commission – an independent, bipartisan body — to rewrite the federal voter registration form to include a requirement that Americans must show a copy of a proof of citizenship document to register to vote in federal races. It also aims to prevent states from counting mailed ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive after the election, which 18 states currently allow.

[…]

Trump has said his executive order is necessary to stop fraud and “straighten out our elections.”

False claims about election fraud have become part of Trump’s brand, the most notable example being his denial of his 2020 election loss.

In the leadup to the 2024 election, Trump promoted the bogus theory that Democrats would attempt to steal the election by helping noncitizens vote in large numbers. There is no evidence of such a plot.

In fact, past audits have shown that cases of noncitizens voting are rare. Under current federal law, voters must attest, under penalty of perjury, that they are U.S. citizens when they register to vote, and some states take additional steps to verify citizenship. Those who try to vote illegally can face prison time and deportation.

Still, in response to the lawsuit filed by Democrats challenging the executive order, U.S. Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted to X, “Why are top Democrats suing to allow non-citizens to vote in American elections? You know why.” Billionaire Elon Musk, who owns X and is a top adviser to Trump, shared Lee’s post with one word, “Fraud.”

[…]

Source: Jude Joffe-Block, npr.org/2025/04/03/nx-s1-5351751/voting-executive-order-lawsuit