The League of United Latin American Citizens announced Monday, March 31, that the organization has filed a lawsuit challenging Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to impose what a LULAC press released called “sweeping and unlawful changes to the administration of U.S. elections.”
Trump’s executive order e mandates proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and limits mail-in voting by imposing “unrealistic deadlines,” LULAC charges. It directs federal agencies to police state voter roll and in doing so risks “disenfranchising millions of eligible voters, including veterans, students, seniors, and Latino citizens,” the press release continues. “More than 21 million Americans cannot access the additional documents required to register to vote under the purported rules of this executive order.”
LULAC National President and Chairman Roman Palomares said his organization is “taking this legal action not to oppose any individual or party but to uphold the sacred principles that define our democracy. The right to vote is not a partisan issue. It is the foundation of our republic and must be protected against any attempt — no matter how powerful the source — that seeks to undermine it.”
LULAC charges that Trump’s order “bypasses the Election Assistance Commission’s lawful role in managing federal voter registration processes,” arguing that the president does not have constitutional authority to rewrite election laws by executive order. The lawsuit also charges that the president and the Secretary of Defense do not have the authority under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to require additional documentation on the postcard application that military and overseas voters use to register to vote and request an absentee ballot.
We are not fighting against something; we are fighting for something: the right of every eligible citizen to be heard, to be counted and to shape the future of our nation through the ballot box. That is what democracy demands.”
LULAC National President and Chair roman Palomares
“For nearly 100 years, LULAC has stood proudly for civic engagement, community participation and the full inclusion of Latino citizens in American public life,” Palomares continued. “We are not fighting against something; we are fighting for something: the right of every eligible citizen to be heard, to be counted and to shape the future of our nation through the ballot box.
“That is what democracy demands.”
LULAC is joined in the lawsuit by the Secure Families Initiative and the Arizona Students’ Association, represented by the Campaign Legal Center and State Democracy Defenders Fund. Together, they seek “immediate judicial intervention to block the enforcement of the executive order’s most harmful provisions before they can take effect. Every state already has strict laws and safeguards to ensure only U.S. citizens can register and vote,” the press release notes.
“We are calling on all Americans, regardless of political affiliation, to stand with us,” Palomares concluded. “The executive order clearly targets naturalized citizens who have worked hard to gain citizenship and voting rights. LULAC again challenges an attack on our civil rights as guaranteed by the Constitution. This battle is not about left or right. Our legal action is about right and wrong.”
— Tammye Nash
