Democratic-led states are taking steps to safeguard their elections from potential interference by the Trump administration and its allies. Five states – California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, and Washington state – have recently enacted legislation to restrict the presence of law enforcement at polling places or to thwart the federal government’s efforts to obtain sensitive election material.
State Laws and Federal Power
The US Constitution gives states the primary task of running elections and Congress the power to set the ground rules for federal contests. However, President Donald Trump’s continued rhetoric about voting fraud and his administration’s aggressive moves to reshape voting procedures have prompted these states to act.
Maryland state Sen. Cynthia Kagan, a Democrat, co-sponsored a new law aimed at maintaining the state’s deadline for counting mail-in ballots that are received after Election Day. She stated, ‘It’s infuriating that the Trump administration believes they can ignore the Constitution of the United States and try to take over our elections.’
In Connecticut, a new provision of state law seeks to largely bar law enforcement from being within 250 feet of a polling location, ballot dropbox, or vote-counting site without the permission of election officials. State Rep. Matt Blumenthal, a Democrat, said, ‘The reason why we’ve entertained these steps is because of the shocking and unprecedented statements and actions that Donald Trump and his allies, including in government, have undertaken to threaten and attack our elections.’
Legal Challenges Ahead
Some of these state laws could set up legal clashes with the federal government. Court disputes have already erupted between the Trump administration and states such as California and Connecticut over statutes that seek to prohibit ICE officers from wearing masks while operating within the states’ borders. However, legal experts say states are likely on firmer ground when it comes to the new batch of laws that spell out how state and local officials should respond to any federal overreach on elections.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
