South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined eight other state attorneys general in suing the Biden-Harris administration’s illegal voter registration operation.
According to Wilson, it transforms federal agencies into voter registration groups, jeopardizing the legitimacy of the country’s elections.
According to Wilson, Executive Order 14019 unlawfully compels federal agencies and departments to spend funds appropriated by Congress to conduct voter registration initiatives. The federal government has little jurisdiction to control voter registration because Congress and the United States Constitution delegate that responsibility exclusively to the states.
“I swore to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and this order from the Biden-Harris administration violates both,” Attorney General Wilson said in a statement. “Federal agencies cannot take money that Congress allocated and use it for improper purposes, and the Constitution primarily gives the states the authority to regulate voter registration.”
The action, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, seeks to declare the executive order illegal and unlawful, as well as to enjoin all agencies from enforcing it.
For example, the United States Department of Justice is registering imprisoned felons to vote, but there was no notice or comment period to allow the public to weigh in on whether this is appropriate. Many states make it illegal for felons to vote.
The Department of Treasury also stated that it would carry out EO 14019 by including ‘information on registration and voter involvement in its direct deposit campaigns for Americans who receive Social Security, Veterans Affairs, and other government benefit payments.’
According to the attorney general’s office, the order exceeds any authority executive entities have under federal law, violates the Constitution, jeopardizes states’ attempts to regulate voter registration, and undermines state voter registration systems, which will have an impact on federal, state, and local elections.
The alliance includes Attorney General Wilson and the attorneys general of Iowa, South Dakota, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Montana, who are leading the lawsuit.
