Schumer, Jeffries Sue Donald Trump Over Executive Order Expanding Federal Role in Elections

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., challenges an order signed by Trump earlier this week that focuses on mail-in voting procedures and voter eligibility requirements.

The legal action also includes the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic Governors Association, and the Democratic National Committee.

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The filing comes as Senate Republicans continue discussions surrounding the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a measure that has faced unified opposition from Democrats in the Senate.

In a joint statement, Schumer, Jeffries, and Democratic committee leaders criticized the executive action.

“The American people are fed up with Republicans’ price-spiking, health care-gutting agenda and are ready to vote them out,” they said.

“That’s why Donald Trump is desperately trying to rig our elections by making it harder to vote for seniors, Americans with disabilities, members of the military, rural communities, and other working families who rely on vote-by-mail. This move is blatantly unconstitutional, and we will fight against it.”

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They added, “We are taking action to challenge Trump’s executive order to protect the right to vote and ensure every eligible American can make their voice heard at the ballot box.”

The lawsuit seeks to block the executive order, arguing that it exceeds presidential authority and interferes with the role of states in administering elections.

According to the filing, the order would create federal “citizenship lists” of U.S. citizens using government databases and require those lists to be shared with states before elections.

It would also expand the role of the U.S. Postal Service in handling mail-in voting logistics and require voters to be enrolled with USPS in order to receive mail ballots.

Additional provisions would allow USPS to refuse delivery of ballots from individuals not included on its approved lists and impose new federal requirements for the design and processing of mail-in ballot envelopes.

Democrats argue that these measures violate constitutional principles, including the separation of powers and states’ authority over elections.

The lawsuit states that Trump has “no such authority” to implement broad changes to election systems nationwide.

“If permitted, the President’s actions would fundamentally alter the constitutional balance between the states and the federal government by allowing the executive branch to wield federal power to pressure states into adopting federal preferences for the conduct of elections,” the filing states.

The White House defended the order following the lawsuit.

“Only Democrat politicians and operatives would be upset about lawful efforts to secure American elections and ensure only eligible American citizens are casting ballots,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said.

“President Trump campaigned on securing our elections and the American people sent him back to the White House to get the job done,” she added.

Trump has also warned Republicans that failure to pass the SAVE America Act could lead to losses in future elections, citing political challenges in Congress.

The case sets up a legal dispute over the scope of federal authority in election administration, with the executive order now at the center of the challenge.

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