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Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
US judge blocks Trump administration from overhauling federal elections
BOSTON, June 13 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday blocked U.S. President Donald Trump's administration from implementing parts of his sweeping executive order overhauling federal elections, including by requiring voters to prove they are U.S. citizens and barring states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in Boston issued a preliminary injunction at the behest of 19 Democratic-led states who argued the president lacked the authority to mandate changes to federal elections and the states' voting procedures.
Reuters
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US judge appears open to blocking Trump's election overhaul order
June 6 (Reuters) - A federal judge appeared open on Friday to blocking enforcement of U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping executive order overhauling elections that calls for requiring voters to prove they are U.S. citizens and barring states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. At a hearing in Boston before U.S. District Judge Denise Casper, a lawyer for the Trump administration argued the Republican president's order was lawful and that any request by 19 Democratic-led states challenging it was premature. But Casper said those states were under pressure to comply with Trump's order before voting begins in the 2026 federal election cycle and that 13 of them that accept mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day say they could be sued by the U.S. Department of Justice unless she issues an injunction. "Why isn't that warranted now?" Casper asked a Justice Department attorney. Justice Department lawyer Bridget O'Hickey responded by calling the prospect of her department suing speculative. While Trump's order calls for Attorney General Pam Bondi to take "all necessary action" to enforce Trump's directive, O'Hickey said she could just send a letter encouraging compliance. O'Hickey also said the states' claims that a part of Trump's order tasking the U.S. Election Assistance Commission with updating the federal voter registration form to require people to submit proof they are U.S. citizens are not ripe as the panel had yet to do so. "At this point there is no final rule for the court to review," she said. But Casper said Trump's order contained "mandatory language" requiring the change to the form, despite requirements that changes go through notice-and-comment rulemaking processes first after the states are consulted. She pressed O'Hickey on what grounds "a president can direct actions by the executive branch that contradict that statutory scheme." Casper did not immediately rule on the states' request for a preliminary injunction, saying she would "give the matter more thought." The lawsuit is one of several across the nation challenging Trump's March 25 executive order, which he signed after years of raising doubts about the integrity of the U.S. electoral system and falsely claiming that his 2020 loss to Democratic former President Joe Biden resulted from widespread voter fraud. Part of Trump's order has already been blocked by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington, who at the behest of voting rights groups and Democrats on April 24 blocked enforcement of the provision requiring changes to the voter registration form and for federal election officials to assess whether people who are registering to vote are citizens. During Friday's hearing, California Deputy Attorney General Anne Bellows urged Casper to block not just those provisions but also importantly the one mandating ballots be received by Election Day. She said Trump's order relied on an "egregiously wrong" decision last year by a conservative panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declaring it illegal for states to count mail-in ballots received after Election Day, even if they are postmarked by then. "The president has no Constitutional authority to set rules for federal election because the Constitution gives that authority to the states and Congress," Bellows said. The case is State of California v. Trump, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, No. 25-cv-10810. For the states: Anne Bellows and Kevin Quade of the California Department of Justice For the federal government: Bridget O'Hickey of the U.S. Department of Justice Read more: Democratic-led states sue over Trump's order overhauling elections Judge partly blocks Trump order that claimed greater control over US elections
Associated Press
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Democrats endorse set of changes to Pennsylvania election rules, sending bill to state Senate
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania voters would get more than a week of early voting and county election officials would have more time to start processing mail-in ballots under an election law proposal that advanced out of the state House on Tuesday by a single vote, with all Republicans opposed. The wide-ranging bill sponsored by Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, addresses an array of election-related matters, including rules for ballot drop boxes, electronic lists of registered voters for election workers to consult, in-person early voting and voter registration. It passed on a vote of 102 to 101 and was sent to the Republican majority state Senate, adding a potent political issue to the mix as lawmakers and the governor head into the homestretch of the annual state budget season's dealmaking. 'This bill will make sure we have less ambiguities in the law,' McClinton said in an interview before the vote. 'It also accounts for the changes in how voters want to cast their ballot by providing options for early voting, increased access to ballot drop boxes and allowing them to correct small errors on mail-in ballots.' Its prospects in the Republican majority state Senate are unclear. The communications director for the GOP caucus released a statement saying simply that the House-passed bill will be reviewed by a committee. It would require counties to pay their elections officials at least $175 per election and change the rules for recounts and contested elections. Every county would have to have at least two ballot drop boxes to return mail-in ballots, with more in larger counties. In-person early voting would start 11 days before an election and end the Sunday before the election. All counties would have at least one in-person early voting site, and larger counties would have to add one for every 100,000 registered voters. The early in-person voting proposal would replace a clumsy and time-consuming alternative that led to hourslong lines and claims of disenfranchisement last fall in the nation's biggest presidential battleground state. That alternative allows voters to go to their election office, register for a mail-in ballot, fill it out on the spot and hand it in. Some county election offices found themselves swamped and unprepared for the influx. Establishing rules for drop boxes would settle a gray area in state law that led to partisan court battles over whether drop boxes were legal and, if so, what sort of security measures are required. Democratic-controlled counties have embraced the use of drop boxes for mail-in voters, while Republican-controlled counties have generally eschewed them as illegal. Under the bill, the state would provide $2 million for the Department of State to identify electronic poll books that are compatible with other election software. The state would borrow up to $60 million more to help counties purchase them. Electronic poll books — with lists of eligible, registered voters for election workers to use — would replace paper poll lists with a digital system. Voters using mail-in ballots would no longer have to provide an accurate, handwritten date on the return envelope, a requirement that has spawned years of litigation. But the voter would still have to sign the envelope for their ballot to count. Household members and others close to a voter would be permitted to return their mail-in ballots — current law requires most voters to return their own ballots. County workers could begin to process mail-in ballots a week before the election, taking ballots out of envelopes and scanning them if the scanner is able to scan the ballot without tabulating or recording the vote until Election Day. Many counties have long hoped for more time to begin to process the ballots in advance as a way to lessen the Election Day workload. Asked if Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro supports McClinton's proposal, his press secretary, Manuel Bonder, said the governor wants to improve the safety and security of elections 'while enfranchising voters' and that his team 'will continue working with both legislative chambers toward bipartisan reforms that protect our democratic process for all eligible Pennsylvanians.'
CBS News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Dozens of Philadelphia mail-in ballots at risk of not being counted due to voter errors. Here's how to fix it.
US, China announce reduced tariffs, Controversy over Qatar's gift to Trump and more | Digital Brief US, China announce reduced tariffs, Controversy over Qatar's gift to Trump and more | Digital Brief US, China announce reduced tariffs, Controversy over Qatar's gift to Trump and more | Digital Brief Pennsylvania's primary is one week from Monday, but dozens of ballots in Philadelphia are at risk of not being counted. In an announcement Monday, Philadelphia City Commissioners said they already have over 60 mail-in and absentee ballots with mistakes that could keep these residents' votes from counting. Some of the issues the city commissioners noticed include: lack of a signature on the declaration envelope, lack of a written date on the declaration envelope, lack of a secrecy envelope, having listed a potentially incorrect date and ballots that the post office can't deliver. City commissioners said they're also having trouble with mail ballots from voters whose identity couldn't be verified. Voters who have yet to submit an acceptable form of identification or whose identity couldn't be verified should fill out the city's ID verification form. Voters can also send a copy or picture of a valid identification to phillyelection@ or via fax to (215) 686-3398 or call 215-686-3469 by May 27, 2025. If a voter's identity can't be verified, their vote cannot be counted. The Philadelphia City Commissioners released a list of voters to whom at least one of these issues applies. If your name is on this list, the city advises you to request a replacement ballot. Voters can make the request in person or online. Any voter who can't request a replacement ballot ahead of Election Day can cast a provisional ballot at their local polling place.
