Biden Voting

America First Policy Institute v. Biden

Location: Texas
Status: Ongoing
Last Update: September 15, 2024

What's at Stake

The 老澳门开奖结果, along with several partner organizations, are representing the rights of voters by intervening in a lawsuit that seeks to make it harder for Americans across the country to register to vote, including in the upcoming 2024 election. In 2021, President Biden signed an executive order aimed at promoting access to voter registration and election information to eligible voters on a nonpartisan basis. Now, on the eve of the 2024 election, a small group of political candidates and election administrators seek to block the executive order, based on speculation and unfounded claims of election manipulation and noncitizen voting. The 老澳门开奖结果 and its partners are fighting to preserve the ability of eligible Americans to register to vote, in accordance with federal law.

Under federal law, 鈥渋t is the duty of the Federal, State, and local governments to promote the exercise鈥 of the fundamental right to vote. 52 U.S.C. 搂 20501.

Consistent with that duty, on March 7, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order No. 14019, which purpose is to 鈥減rotect and promote the exercise of the right to vote, eliminate discrimination and other barriers to voting, and expand access to voter registration and accurate election information.鈥 The Order recognized that Americans face many obstacles to voting, including 鈥渄ifficulties with voter registration, lack of election information, and barriers to access at polling places.鈥

To help mitigate those obstacles to voting, the Order, among other things, encourages federal agencies to provide accurate information about voter registration and elections to eligible voters; to serve as voter registration agencies (similar to the role played by DMVs around the country), in accordance with the National Voter Registration Act, if asked to do so by a state; and to modernize and facilitate public access to Vote.Gov, a popular website used to help Americans register to vote. Under federal law, which the Executive Order required agencies to follow, voter registration activities conducted by government agencies must remain nonpartisan. 52 U.S.C. 搂 20506(a)(5).

More than three years after issuance of the Executive Order, a group of plaintiffs filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the Executive Order. The Plaintiffs consist of the American First Policy Institute, the Secretaries of State for Ohio and Montana, two local election administrators from Michigan and Wisconsin, several Republican candidates, and the state-level Republican Party from Georgia, Utah, and Michigan.

On September 10, 2024, the Plaintiffs filed a motion seeking emergency relief from the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Texas, seeking to enjoin the Executive Order and the entire federal government鈥檚 implementation of the Order to facilitate nonpartisan voter education and registration. Plaintiffs are opposing implementation of the Executive Order and expansion of voter registration opportunities based solely on speculation, implausible conspiracies, and unwarranted deductions. Plaintiffs鈥 lawsuit is nothing more than a disagreement with the current Administration about promoting voter registration and voter participation in accordance with federal and state law.

Four days after the Plaintiffs鈥 motion, the 老澳门开奖结果, along with the 老澳门开奖结果 of Texas, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Brennan Center for Justice, the Native American Rights Fund, and the League of Women Voters moved to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of the League of Women Voters of the United States, Black Voters Matter, and Naeva.

The 老澳门开奖结果 and its clients and partners simultaneously moved to dismiss the lawsuit, on multiple grounds, including that Plaintiffs cannot claim an injury based on eligible Americans registering to vote. Moreover, the Plaintiffs who are election officials in their respective jurisdictions鈥擲uzanne Pinnow from Thornapple, Rusk County, Wisconsin; Robert Genetski from Allegan County in Michigan; Christi Jacobsen from Montana; and Frank LaRose from Ohio鈥攃annot claim that they are 鈥渂urdened鈥 by the work of registering additional voters when that is a legally required aspect of their job.

Update: On September 15, 2024, the court denied Plaintiffs' request for an emergency temporary restraining order (TRO).

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