Trump Administration's Efforts to Change Voting Procedures

DOJ Lawsuits Over Voter Registration Lists

• 🏛️ The Department of Justice is suing eight states to compel them to share voter registration lists, which contain sensitive personal data like dates of birth and Social Security numbers.
• ⚠️ State officials are opposing this move due to concerns about how the federal government will use and protect this sensitive data, citing past federal data breaches.
• ⚖️ While federal statutes like the National Voter Registration Act authorize states to maintain clean voter rolls, the responsibility for this task resides with the states, not the DOJ.

DOJ Actions Regarding Voting Machines

• 🗳️ In a separate action, the DOJ requested access to Dominion Voting Systems machines used in the 2020 election in Missouri, which county officials have refused.
• 🚫 Generally, the DOJ has no authority over voting machines, except for ensuring accessibility for certain groups under the Voting Rights Act.
• 🔒 Seizing or inspecting voting machines could destroy the chain of custody, rendering them unusable for future elections.

President Trump's Stance on Mail-In Ballots

• ❌ President Trump has repeatedly attacked mail-in ballots, calling them corrupt and incompatible with democracy, and has vowed to eliminate them.
• ✅ Mail-in voting has a long history in the U.S. (over 150 years) and is considered secure, with states implementing multiple protections, including signature verification.
• 📈 Many states that have expanded mail-in voting, including those that are predominantly vote-by-mail, were won by President Trump in 2020.

Constitutional Authority Over Elections

• 📜 The U.S. Constitution's Elections Clause decentralizes election regulation to state legislatures, with Congress having the power to regulate federal elections.
• 🚫 The President of the United States plays no role in the regulation of elections and cannot change voting procedures without going through Congress.