Democrats from 19 states have filed a lawsuit against US President Donald Trump's attempt to change the election process.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, characterizes the president's actions as unconstitutional interference with states' clear authority to conduct their own elections.
He is trying to stop important elements of the law, including new requirements to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote and a requirement that all mail-in ballots be received by Election Day.
This is already the fourth complaint against the decree, which was issued just a week ago.
“The president has no authority to do any of this,” the states' attorneys general wrote in court filings.
Mr Trump's order alleges the US failed to “provide basic and necessary election protections”.
Electoral officials noted that the recent elections were among the safest in the country's history.
There was no evidence of widespread fraud, including during Mr Trump's loss to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.
The order comes after years of complaints from Mr Trump about the US election process.
After his first victory in 2016, Mr Trump falsely claimed that his total vote would have been significantly higher if not for the “millions of people who voted illegally”.
In 2020, he blamed a “rigged” election for his defeat and falsely claimed widespread fraud and voting machine manipulation.
Mr Trump claims his order protects voting rights from illegal voting by non-citizens, although numerous studies and investigations in different states have shown that this rarely happens.
It has won support from top election officials in several Republican states who say it could prevent voter fraud and give them access to federal data to better maintain voter rolls.
The order also requires states not to accept mail-in or absentee ballots received after Election Day and threatens federal funding to states if election officials fail to comply.
Some states allow ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day, or allow voters to correct minor errors on their ballots.
The lawsuit says forcing states to make changes would violate the broad powers the Constitution gives states to set their own election rules. The lawsuit emphasizes that they decide the “time, place, and manner
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
