Federal judge blocks Trump’s voter list, mail ballot order

A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at creating a federal voter list and restricting mail ballots.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled Thursday in favor of nearly two dozen states, including Washington, and the District of Columbia, saying the order “unconstitutionally violates the separation of powers.” Plaintiffs argued that states and Congress, not the president, have the power to set election rules.

The ruling halts the policy for the upcoming midterm election cycle.

The order would have required a national voter database and limited United States Postal Service (USPS) mail ballot delivery to voters on that list.

It was the second ruling in as many days against executive orders Trump has signed seeking oversight of the nation’s elections. A separate ruling Wednesday prohibited an executive order he had signed last year that would have required people to show documents proving their citizenship when registering to vote.

Trump administration responds to ruling

The Trump administration argued that the motions are premature and that the plaintiffs lacked a legal basis to bring their claim under the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs how federal agencies develop and issue regulations.

Trump’s order back in March would have had the federal government create a list of eligible voters and then directed the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to those on the list. Election officials argued that it was ripe for abuse and could cause chaos. The postal union has objected to the idea of mail carriers policing ballots.

Trump has claimed mail voting is rife with fraud, launching federal investigations into the election process. But repeated audits and investigations, including ones run by Republicans, have found it was free of widespread fraud.

The administration has been determined to limit widespread voting by noncitizens, which is a felony that can be punishable by deportation. According to The Associated Press, voting by noncitizens has been shown to be rare.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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