Connecticut’s top election official condemns President Donald Trump’s executive order requiring proof of citizenship for elections.
Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas said the requirement that states use birth certificates to register voters is an attempt at voter suppression.
“It also would basically invalidate mail registration,” she said, indicating that voter registration drives on a college campus would be affected.
“Those things would not be allowable anymore because an election worker would have to verify the documents,” she said.
Trump’s order requires states to remove non-citizens from voter rolls and share data with federal agencies to prosecute election crimes.
It's an unlawful and unconstitutional overreach into the state electoral process, Thomas said.
“This White House can only be described as a bully. As they attempt to bypass Congress with this unlawful order,” Thomas added.
“The U.S. Constitution grants states the primary authority to regulate elections, and this executive order infringes on that,“ she said.
Attorney General William Tong said Connecticut is working with other states on its legal options to challenge the order because Trump is seeking to withhold federal funds from states that do not comply.
The order would also allow Elon Musk and his DOGE team access to state voter rolls.
