Two Republican election officials said they believe President Donald Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting will be struck down.
Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt and former Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said litigation challenging the order is likely to succeed.
"We want voters to know that the election is going to be free, fair, safe, and secure, and that everyone knows what the rules are prior to going into this," Schmidt said on ABC News' "This Week."
"So confusion is never a positive thing unless you are seeking to sow distrust in the outcome of an election," Schmidt said.
Trump's executive order directs his administration to compile a list of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote in each state and to use federal data to help state election officials verify who is eligible to vote.
It also requires the U.S. Postal Service to deliver ballots only to voters on each state's approved mail-in ballot list. States must also preserve election-related records for five years.
A coalition of Democrat state attorneys general announced Friday they were filing a lawsuit challenging the executive order.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Boston, adds to the growing number of legal challenges to the order, with cases also pursued by arms of the Democratic Party and voting rights advocates.
"We're going to work as hard as we can to make sure that this is a free and fair election," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who filed one of the lawsuits, said on "This Week."
"That executive order is unlawful and unconstitutional. We've already filed litigation, and we expect that it will be declared so in short order by the courts," Jeffries said.
Richer, who ran Maricopa County elections from 2021 to 2025, called Trump's order unnecessary.
Arizona has "some of the underlying features that President Trump aspires to have in all elections," Richer said. "While I agree with some of the elements in the executive order and some of the aspirations, the form does matter."
The White House has defended the executive order, saying it is intended to strengthen election integrity and ensure only eligible citizens vote.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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