A federal appeals court on Saturday declined to allow U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to implement in 23 states his executive order that aims to tighten rules for mail-in voting ahead of November elections that will decide control of Congress.
Background
The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the administration’s request to lift an injunction several Democratic-led states secured on June 25 from a lower-court judge who concluded that key parts of the Republican president’s order were unconstitutional.
The appeals court, in a 2-1 ruling, rejected the argument that the lawsuit challenging Trump’s order was premature. The court stated that the executive order lays out a clear set of rapidly approaching deadlines by which states must coordinate with federal officials and comply with new voting procedures.
Trump’s Executive Order
Trump signed the executive order in March after years of calling for tighter rules on voting by mail and pushing the false claim that his 2020 election defeat was the result of widespread voter fraud. The order directed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to compile and transmit to the states a list of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote in each state.
The order also required the U.S. Postal Service to only deliver ballots to voters on each state’s approved mail-in ballot list. Additionally, it directed the U.S. Department of Justice to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of state and local election officials who issue federal ballots to people deemed “not eligible” to vote.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
