President Donald Trump’s attempt to add a citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form was blocked Friday, with a judge ruling the move is unconstitutional.
Key facts
District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly indicated in her ruling that the citizenship requirement violated the separation of powers, noting that “the Constitution assigns the responsibility of regulating elections to the States and Congress” and that Trump does not have the authority to carry out such regulation.
Kollar-Kotelly’s order specifically prohibits the U.S. Election Assistance Commission from adding the proof of citizenship requirement to the federal registration form.
Trump, who for years has expressed skepticism about the electoral system and its safeguards, argued in the executive order that the measure was necessary to “protect against dilution by illegal votes, discrimination, fraud and other forms of misconduct and error.”
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Plaintiffs in the lawsuit, including the Democratic National Committee, argued that the citizenship requirement could disenfranchise eligible voters and minority communities, and claimed the move was an abuse of power by Trump.
What to observe
Kollar-Kotelly is still considering challenges against other parts of Trump’s executive order, including one that requires all mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day and not just be postmarked that day, which conflicts with laws in several states that allow extended deadlines for casting mail-in ballots.
Key background
Trump, who did not immediately accept the results of the 2020 presidential election, has long made claims of voter fraud despite a lack of evidence to support his accusations. The president has raised debunked concerns that the 2024 election was also “rigged,” suggesting he would not accept the results of the last election if he determined they were unfair or illegal. Trump’s skepticism about the electoral process has continued during his second term. In August, the president announced a “movement” to eliminate mail-in votes, calling them a “fraud” and alleging without evidence that Democrats use mail-in votes and voting machines to rig elections. Several policy experts have noted that voting by mail is secure and reliable. About 30% of U.S. voters used mail-in ballots in the 2024 election, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
This article was originally published on Forbes US
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