TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin on Thursday joined a 19-state coalition in suing the Trump administration over a new executive order that imposes sweeping voting restrictions nationwide, including proof-of-citizenship requirements and ballot-counting mandates that states argue are unconstitutional.
Key Points:
- New Jersey sues Trump administration over executive order requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote.
- The lawsuit challenges mandates affecting mail-in ballots, military voters, and threatens federal funding to noncompliant states.
- Attorney General Platkin joined 18 other states in calling the order unconstitutional and a violation of state election authority.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, challenges Executive Order No. 14248, issued by President Donald J. Trump, which seeks to block individuals without documentary citizenship proof from registering to vote in federal elections and mandates states to reject mail-in ballots received after Election Day.
“This unconstitutional executive order is the most egregious attack on voting rights by a President in our recent history,” Platkin said in a statement released by his office. “We will fight this unlawful attempt to deny voters their most sacred right.”
The complaint argues that the federal government cannot override state authority on election procedures, citing that election regulation is reserved to states and Congress under the U.S. Constitution. The order also directs the Election Assistance Commission, an independent agency created by Congress, to alter its federal registration form to require citizenship documentation — a move the plaintiffs say Congress has never authorized.
New Jersey and the other plaintiff states also contest provisions that would force rejection of absentee and mail-in ballots received after Election Day, a practice allowed in many states including New Jersey. They also challenge a requirement that overseas military voters provide documentary proof of citizenship to cast ballots, despite federal law allowing them to vote based on their last U.S. domicile.
Another major issue raised in the lawsuit is the Trump administration’s threat to withhold federal funding from states that do not comply with the new mandates, a move that the plaintiffs say infringes on state sovereignty.
The lawsuit was joined by attorneys general from 18 other states, including California, New York, and Illinois, signaling a broad coalition of opposition to the executive order.
New Jersey joins 19-state lawsuit to block Trump voting order that imposes citizenship proof and new ballot restrictions.