GOP To Battle Democrats Trying To Block Trump’s Election Integrity Executive Order

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is intervening against the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which sued to challenge President Donald Trump’s executive order on election integrity, the Daily Caller has learned.

The RNC filed a legal intervention on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, according to plans shared with the Caller. The filing is in an attempt to defend against the lawsuit filed by the DNC, Democratic Governors Association, the Senate and House campaign committees, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who are attempting to stop the president’s election integrity measure. (RELATED: Trump Administration Sues North Carolina To Clean Voter Rolls)

“These groups are suing to stop President Trump’s election integrity executive order, specifically fighting against: proof of citizenship to register to vote, efforts to remove non-citizens from voter rolls, efforts to only count mail-in ballots received by election day,” an RNC official told the Caller.

“The President’s executive order is completely lawful and will help safeguard our elections from fraud and ineligible voters. The RNC is intervening to fight alongside the Justice Department to defend the President’s executive order,” the official continued.

There are two other federal lawsuits challenging the president’s executive order – one in Massachusetts and the other in the Western District of Washington – but the RNC only plans on intervening in the D.C. case for now, a party official told the Caller. If the court rules in the GOP’s favor, they can “fully participate at the merits stage alongside the DOJ” in defense of Trump’s executive order, the official continued.

“The DNC and other far-left groups are attacking the President’s efforts to secure our elections,” RNC Chairman Whatley told the Caller in a statement. “These radical groups are suing to block commonsense protections like requiring proof of citizenship to vote, cleaning up voter rolls, and ensuring mail-in ballots are received by Election Day. President Trump’s executive order is lawful, necessary, and focused on restoring trust in our elections. The RNC will fight alongside the Justice Department to protect the ballot and stop Democrats’ attempts to make it easier to cheat.”

Trump signed an executive order in March requiring government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration in every state and directed Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi to work with state election officials to address violations of the executive order. It also conditions federal funding on whether or not states require voter ID.

The executive order also requires Bondi and Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to enforce “appropriate laws to prevent foreign nationals from contributing or donating in United States elections.” The AG and Secretary of Homeland Security were also ordered to label election infrastructure — such as voting machines, ballots and election equipment — as “critical” and prevent non-citizens from handling or administering election infrastructure, as a part of the executive order.

The Democrats argued in their lawsuit the president does not “get to dictate the rules of our elections,” and that the order allows Trump to impose “design preferences” on congressionally mandated voter registration forms.

Michael Whatley and Lara Trump listen as Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump speaks during a South Carolina Republican primary night watch party at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, SC on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Following 2020, election integrity became a point of emphasis for both Trump and the RNC.

Prior to the 2024 election cycle, the RNC was playing catch up. For nearly 40 years, the GOP was subject to a 1982 consent decree — enacted following a lawsuit from the DNC — that neutered the party’s ability to engage in election integrity lawsuits. In 2018, the decree was lifted, giving the RNC the ability to build its election integrity effort back up. (RELATED: Inside Team Trump’s Big Bet On Election Integrity — And How It Paid Off)

In the 2024 election cycle, the RNC filed more than 100 election integrity lawsuits across 20 states, according to the party’s website. Since notching major wins in the 2024 election, the party has continued to rack up wins and gear up for the next cycle.

An RNC official previously told the Caller that while 2026 is not a high profile campaign year, the department will continue to build its staff and make its presence known both in D.C. and across the country.

“Just because the election happened and President Trump won doesn’t mean we stopped or we’ve accomplished some sort of goal or that we’ve reached the finish line — because we haven’t,” the official told the Caller.