The Trump campaign sued Nevada to stop legislation that would expand mail-in voting ahead of the 2020 election.
The campaign, in conjunction with the Republican National Committee and the Nevada Republican Party, filed the lawsuit Tuesday night against Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, arguing that the Nevada bill, which Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, is expected to sign, is unconstitutional.
They are seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting the state from implementing and enforcing the bill and a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction while the litigation plays out.
The lawsuit, which was filed two days after the president threatened litigation, claims that the bill which would permit the state to mail all active ballots to voters before the election over coronavirus concerns, “lacks integrity” and puts “results in chaos.”
“Democrats know President Trump is gaining ground in Nevada, so they fully and fundamentally overhauled Nevada’s election laws in a rushed 72-hour attempt to rig the election. This unconstitutional legislation implements the exact universal vote-by-mail system President Trump has been warning against for months, making it nearly impossible for every Nevada voter’s ballot to count,” Jenna Ellis, a Trump campaign senior legal adviser, said in a press release.
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel accused Nevada Democrats of trying to “rig the election” with this latest bill.
“They overturned a bipartisan ballot harvesting ban to allow strangers to pick up a ballot for anyone, including the most vulnerable to COVID-19, and have thrown out many important safeguards,” she said in a statement. “Nevadans saw the dangers of automatically mailing ballots during their June primary. The integrity of the election was at risk then, and it is even more so now. AB4 will destroy the confidence every voter deserves to have in our elections.”
The bill, AB4, which the state legislature passed along party lines over the weekend, will allow Nevada to send ballots to residents in-state 20 days prior to the election and 40 days prior for those who live out-of-state.
Democrats and Republicans have been at odds in recent weeks over mail-in voting for the upcoming election.
Republicans, including the president, have repeatedly claimed that widespread mail-in voting leaves the election results more easily manipulated and thus could be more at risk for voter fraud. Democrats have argued in favor of mail-in voting to protect people from the coronavirus.
