Washington, D.C.: The Democratic Party has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking to block an executive order that overhauls the U.S. election system. The lawsuit argues that the order, issued by Republican President Donald Trump, could disenfranchise eligible voters and exceeds presidential authority.
In the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) contends that Trump’s March 25 order imposes unlawful restrictions, including requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, prohibiting states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day, and threatening to withhold federal funding from non-compliant states.
“The Executive Order seeks to impose radical changes on how Americans register to vote, cast a ballot, and participate in our democracy—all of which threaten to disenfranchise lawful voters and none of which is legal,” states the lawsuit, which was filed by veteran Democratic election attorney Marc Elias and his legal team.
Prominent Democratic leaders, including U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries, have joined as plaintiffs in the case, underscoring the party’s broad opposition to the order.
The White House has not immediately responded to requests for comment. The Trump administration has previously defended the order as a measure to safeguard U.S. elections from foreign interference.
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Trump has frequently cast doubt on the integrity of the U.S. electoral system and continues to claim, without evidence, that his 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden was the result of widespread voter fraud. The president and his Republican allies have also made unsubstantiated claims regarding non-citizen voting, which is illegal and occurs rarely.
The lawsuit asserts that the U.S. Constitution grants authority over federal elections to individual states and Congress, not the president. The Democrats argue that this separation of powers is crucial in preventing any president from altering election rules for personal political gain.
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“The Framers of our federal Constitution foresaw that self-interested and self-aggrandizing leaders might seek to corrupt our democratic system of government to expand and preserve their own power,” the lawsuit states.
In a parallel legal challenge, voting rights organizations, including the Campaign Legal Center and State Democracy Defenders Fund, have also sued to block the executive order, reinforcing the broad opposition to its implementation.
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