The Trump administration continues to expand its drive to revamp voting rules and seize state election powers, sparking 'chaos' and endangering voting rights and the rule of law, according to US courts, state officials and Democrats.
Donald Trump's unprecedented campaign to change election rules, which states legally set, is fuelled by his obsession with his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, which he falsely attributes to voting fraud, and his fear that Democrats will seek his impeachment if they take control of the House, say former election officials and legal experts.
The administration has used justice department legal moves, FBI raids and investigations, and other federal agencies to coerce states to change voting rules, including curtailing voting by mail and machines that Trump and his allies have baselessly vilified as riddled with fraud. Legal experts say this is intimidating election workers and voters before November's elections and laying the groundwork for potentially challenging results where Republican candidates lose.
In a televised talk on 16 July, Trump presented misleading intelligence and debunked claims to argue for drastic changes. The nation's 24 Democratic governors rebutted, stating it is 'deeply alarming that President Trump continues to try to undermine free and fair elections'.
Courts have overwhelmingly rebuked justice department lawyers for claims seeking unredacted voter lists and information about election workers. Eileen O’Connor, a former justice department attorney, noted that the department has filed 30 cases seeking unredacted voter rolls and lost 15, and that judges have excoriated the department for 'arbitrary fishing expeditions'.
