Conservative legal group presses agency to act on Trump’s voter citizenship mandate despite court injunctions
Context:
America First Legal (AFL), a pro-Trump legal advocacy group, has petitioned the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to require proof of citizenship for federal voter registration, following the blockage of a related executive order by President Trump due to court injunctions. The executive order, titled 'Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,' aimed to mandate proof of citizenship on national voter registration forms and prevent non-citizen voting. Critics argue that non-citizens are already prohibited from voting in federal elections, and that current self-attestation is inadequate. Despite legal challenges based on separation of powers, AFL insists the EAC can independently enforce election integrity measures. The group suggests that the EAC's enforcement could be supported legally by changing the forms it distributes, even as the court battles continue.
Dive Deeper:
America First Legal (AFL) has filed a petition with the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to require proof of U.S. citizenship for all federal voter registration applicants, following a blocked executive order by President Trump on the same issue.
President Trump's executive order, 'Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,' sought to have the EAC mandate proof of citizenship on voter registration forms and include measures to prohibit non-citizen voting.
Critics of the executive order argue that it is unnecessary, as non-citizens are already barred from voting in federal elections, and they contend that self-attestation without proof is insufficient.
Legal challenges have resulted in temporary injunctions against the executive order, based on separation of powers principles, but America First Legal argues that the EAC still has room to enact election integrity measures independently.
Daniel Epstein, Vice President of AFL, claims the executive order employed spending powers to ensure state election officers enforce citizenship proof, and AFL aims to change the forms distributed by the EAC and enforce this in court.