Marc Elias: Trump's Executive Order on Mail-In Ballots Has No Power, But Is a Warning

Trump's Executive Order on Mail-In Ballots

• ⚠️ Donald Trump has publicly stated his intention to lead a movement to eliminate mail-in ballots and voting machines, favoring watermarked paper.
• 🚫 Marc Elias clarifies that Donald Trump has no constitutional power to issue an executive order that dictates how states run their elections.
• 🏛️ While Congress can oversee federal elections, the President acting alone has no authority over state election procedures.

Legal and Constitutional Implications

• ⚖️ Elias emphasizes the critical need for immediate lawsuits against any such executive order to obtain a clear court ruling deeming it illegal and unconstitutional.
• 🚀 He recalls successfully representing the Democratic Party in blocking a previous nonsensical executive order from Trump, stressing the importance of preventing any momentum.
• ✊ The strategy is to use all available legal weapons to ensure courts unequivocally state that Trump's actions are wrong and violate the law.

State-Level Manifestations and Disenfranchisement

• 🗣️ Trump may be attempting to influence Republican state governors and legislators to abolish mail-in voting and voting machines.
• 📉 Abolishing widespread vote-by-mail and existing voting equipment without adequate replacements would lead to a collapse of free and fair elections.
• 🚫 This could result in mass disenfranchisement due to a lack of infrastructure for in-person voting, disproportionately affecting black, young, transient, and Democratic voters.

Trump's Strategy and Media Responsibility

• 🎯 Elias suggests Trump's strategy is not about a sophisticated fraud scheme but about operating in plain view.
• 📢 Trump believes states are agents of the federal government for counting and tabulating votes, expecting them to report results as he wishes.
• 📰 There's a critique of legacy media, like The Washington Post, for reporting Trump's statements as mere previews rather than direct threats to democratic processes.

International Influence and Civic Engagement

• 🇷🇺 Trump's rhetoric against mail-in voting mirrors Vladimir Putin's statements, despite Putin having previously established mail-in voting in Russia.
• 💡 This is seen as Trump taking cues from an autocrat and acting as a "useful idiot."
• ✊ The responsibility falls on citizens to stay informed, protest, contact legislators, and support those fighting for democracy in courts and at the ballot box.