In yet another act of unsportsmanlike conduct by President Trump regarding elections, California was sued on Oct. 15 in order to stop roughly 20,000 people deemed to be “likely” noncitizens by the administration from voting. Allegedly, California will improperly send ballots to these supposed “illegal” voters, by piggybacking them on the state’s mail-in voting program. No evidence was provided to back up the claim. California Attorney General Rob Bonta claimed that the federal government is in direct violation of a law prohibiting states from changing voter roles less than 90 days from an election, meaning that even if the suit had standing, it would be impossible to enforce. He described the recent actions as “unprecedented, baseless, lawless territory.”
This comes right on the heels of the landmark Supreme Court ruling in September where the Court ruled against the administration’s attempt to suppress mail-in voting ahead of the midterm election cycle. The administration has made attacking mail-in voting a priority this past year, finding ways to justify it in the name of election security and protecting against fraud. Yet, the problem is vanishingly small in the United States, with confirmed cases making up a fraction of a percent of total votes cast. In 2016, fewer than 30 votes were referred to federal prosecutors as potential noncitizen-casted votes.
The actions seem much more likely to be an attack on Democrat voters , who vote by mail in much higher numbers than the average Republican voter . And indeed, confidence in voting by mail is at a historical low in large due to the false claims by the administration. With California a deeply blue state, such a mood might lead to some suppression of Democrat voters, who may be unable to vote in person and are not confident in the validity of their mailed ballot. If even one Californian vote is not cast because of this undemocratic scheme, a true injustice will have occurred.
While unlikely to have a large enough impact to swing any races, it is evident that President Trump is attacking the very foundation of United States democracy. Heading into midterms, he is deeply unpopular across the nation. Finding himself underwater on every single issue, including Republicans’ historically strong immigration stance, the President and his party are bracing for an acutely painful midterm season. Indeed, early votes seem to show a strong start for Democrats.
A majority of Americans have lost confidence in the party’s ability to turn the economy around, especially after the Trump tariffs and the effect of the Iran war. Losing the House seems all but guaranteed, and the Senate may well follow suit. President Trump has been violating norms that have been respected in the United States for hundreds of years. Perhaps he ought to focus more on cleaning up his own mess rather than finding new ways to lose in court by attempting to suppress American voters.
