Judge Partly Blocks Trump's Election Overhaul, Including Proof-of-Citizenship Requirement for Voter Registration

A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from immediately enacting certain changes to how federal elections are run, including adding a proof of citizenship requirement to the Federal Voter Registration Form. President Donald Trump had called for that and other sweeping changes to federal elections in an executive order signed in March, arguing the U.S. fails to enforce basic and necessary election protections that exist in other countries. The Democratic National Committee, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the League of Women Voters Education Fund, and others had sued to block Trump's order, calling it unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kolar-Cotelli in the District of Columbia sided with voting rights groups and Democrats to grant a preliminary injunction to stop the citizenship requirement from moving forward while the lawsuit plays out. She also blocked part of Trump's executive order requiring public assistance enrollees to have their citizenship assessed before getting access to the Federal Voter Registration Form. However, the justice denied other requests from the plaintiffs, including refusing to block Trump's order to tighten mail ballot deadlines. Also denied in the order was the Democrats' request to block Trump's call for the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Government Efficiency to review state voter lists alongside immigration databases.