NEW YORK, June 1 (Reuters) – The Democratic Party indicated in a court filing on Monday that it is appealing a judge’s decision last week not to immediately block President Donald Trump’s executive order tightening rules on mail-in voting.
• Trump’s March 31 executive order directed his administration to compile a list of confirmed U.S. citizens and required the U.S. Postal Service to deliver ballots only to voters on each state’s approved mail-in ballot list.
• Democrats challenged the order, arguing it was unconstitutional and could disenfranchise millions of voters.
• In a May 28 ruling, Washington-based U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols said Democrats’ request for a preliminary injunction was premature because federal agencies had not yet taken steps to comply with Trump’s order.
• Nichols’ ruling did not address whether Trump’s March 31 executive order was lawful, and also did not, for now, change how Americans vote.
• The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Democrats’ appeal.
• On May 29, the Postal Service proposed a new rule that would require states to provide lists of voters who received mailed ballots. The public has 30 days to comment on the plan before the Trump administration can finalize it.
• A different federal judge in Boston is due to hear arguments on Tuesday in a similar lawsuit challenging the executive order brought by a coalition of Democratic states.
• Trump has for years pushed the false claim that his 2020 election defeat was the result of widespread voter fraud and has criticized voting by mail.
• Mail-in voting is largely seen as a secure and trustworthy way of casting ballots.
• Trump’s Republicans are in a tight battle to keep control of the U.S. Congress in the November midterm elections.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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