CONTACT:
Rebecca Autrey, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, autreyr@brennan.law.nyu.edu
Ella Wiley, ACLU, media@aclu.org, 925–819–0555
Aleisha Flores, Advancing Justice – AAJC, aflores@advancingjustice-aajc.org
Troi Barnes, LDF, media@naacpldf.org
Adam Ginsburg, LWVUS, aginsburg@lwv.org
Dominic Hawkins, NAACP, communications@naacpnet.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A coalition of voting rights organizations filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to challenge President Trump’s unlawful executive order on voting that attempts to seize the power to set voter registration rules from Congress and the states, and doing so in a way that would violate federal law and the Constitution if carried out by the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Key provisions of Trump’s order could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters, particularly voters of color, women voters, naturalized citizens, voters with disabilities, voters with low incomes, and first-time voters.
The Constitution specifies that Congress and the states can set the rules for our elections, not the President. On March 27, several of the groups also sent a letter to the EAC urging them not to take action in response to key provisions in the executive order, as doing so would violate federal law.
Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote, the Hispanic Federation, National League of Women Voters, League of Women Voters of Arizona, League of Women Voters Education Fund, NAACP, and OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates are represented by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of D.C., Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC (Advancing Justice – AAJC), the Legal Defense Fund, and LatinoJustice PRLDEF. The groups are challenging the order’s usurpation of powers, including its directive for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to change the federal voter registration form to require burdensome submission of documents to prove citizenship, which many Americans do not have or cannot readily acquire. Under existing law, registrants already have to swear to their citizenship under penalty of perjury, and there is no evidence that non-citizens are registering to vote at significant rates.
The coalition released the following joint statement about the lawsuit, League of Women Voters et. al. v. Trump et. al.:
“The president has no constitutional or statutory authority to unilaterally dictate how elections are run. This executive order is a blatant violation of the separation of powers. Election rules are decided by Congress and the states, and any attempt by the executive branch to override their power violates the Constitution. This order, based on a persistent false and racialized narrative, could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters. It mirrors the SAVE Act, which would add unnecessary barriers to voter registration and silence the voices of American citizens. These unlawful attacks on voting rights are part of a broader effort to undermine our democracy. We have filed suit to stop this executive order and to keep it from interfering with eligible voters’ participation in our elections.”
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