Today in Boston, 19 state attorneys general will ask a federal judge to block President Donald Trump‘s executive order that they say would make him the de facto “vote czar” of America.
Signed in March, the order forces states to demand proof of U.S. citizenship on the federal registration form — echoing a decade-old Kansas law that wrongly blocked 31,000 eligible voters. That same law also banned any mail-in or absentee ballots received after Election Day — a restriction now mirrored in the federal order.
Right now, Oregon and Washington count ballots postmarked by Election Day, regardless of when they arrive. Under Trump’s order, those votes would be discarded, and federal grants to help run elections would hinge on states complying with the White House‘s strict deadlines.
Nineteen states argue that’s a violation of the Constitution’s Elections Clause, which gives states the power to set the times, places, and manner of elections. The Justice Department counters that the president is simply directing agencies to enforce existing laws.
But if the judge doesn’t block the order, valid ballots could be discarded — potentially tipping razor-thin races.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
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