- They are asking a judge to declare the administration’s actions illegal and block further interference.
Driving the news: The lawsuit condemns the administration for targeting state voter rolls by insisting that local officials review federally compiled lists of purported noncitizens on their voter rolls.
- The suit also alleges that the administration is improperly requiring states to deny registered voters the right to vote based on these federal rolls.
- Democratic-aligned groups also say the administration has tried to intimidate state and local officials by threatening them with prison time or prosecution.
Concrete example: The lawsuit cites a Department of Homeland Security claim that Nevada had nearly 16,000 noncitizens on its voter rolls.
- The department later said it had confirmed that 185 of those people were noncitizens. State records later indicated that all 185 were citizens.
- The DOJ also required California to deny voting to more than 20,000 people based on a federal list flagging them as suspected ineligible voters, according to the lawsuit.
- A preliminary investigation by Los Angeles County investigators found that more than 25 percent of those reported listed a birthplace in the United States, and others had already had their voter registration canceled.
What they say: “Department of Justice and DHS officials have sought to enhance their interference efforts through a persistent stream of threats and intimidation directed at state and local election officials across the country,” the groups’ attorneys wrote.
- “Defendants’ coercive threats of legal retaliation against state officials, including even potential prison time, for simply following state law and helping registered voters cast their ballots, objectively intimidate voters and election officials, in violation of Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act.”
- The suit, filed by Democratic organizations including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Democratic leaders and a constituent, names Trump, the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security and their respective heads as defendants.
The other side: “The Department of Justice enforces federal election law, and election integrity is a top priority,” a Justice Department spokesperson told Axios.
- “Every action taken by the Department to protect the integrity of this year’s elections is based on law and subject to public trial. Ensuring that only eligible citizens vote and that every legal ballot is counted is a requirement of federal law,” according to the emailed statement.
- “We informed California that non-citizens were likely registered to vote, and we asked the state to independently verify the citizenship of any ballots cast by people on a list we provided. It refused to do so. Federal law does not permit this willful blindness.”
A White House The spokesperson told Axios that while “Democrats and the media continue to ignore concerns about voter fraud, the Trump administration is taking decisive legal action to protect our elections, including prosecuting election crimes, strengthening election infrastructure security, and protecting vulnerable voters from fraud and coercion.”
- DHS did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
Zoom out: The suit also argues that the president has no constitutional authority to decide who can vote or dictate how states count ballots.
- Investigations and audits have found no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Research shows that non-citizen voting is rare, and there is no indication that it occurs on a scale that could swing elections.
Go further: Trump sues California to stop 20,000 voters’ ballots from being counted
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from the White House.
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