Kathrine Frich
Lower federal judges have completely blocked the program.
Casting a ballot is meant to be a simple right.
But as major elections draw close, the process of verifying who actually gets to participate can turn into a fierce legal battleground.
Right now, a massive fight over voter eligibility is heading straight to the highest court in the nation.
A federal database
On Tuesday, the Trump administration officially asked the Supreme Court to clear the path for a controversial new voter-screening tool. Officials hope to use the system to identify invalid ballots before the upcoming midterm elections.
Right now, lower federal judges have completely blocked the program. The White House expects the justices to step in quickly and lift that legal ban.
If the emergency request succeeds, individual states will gain immediate access to a massive Department of Homeland Security database. Local election workers could then cross-reference their own registration files.
Sweeping rule changes
They would be able to run state lists directly against federal citizenship files and Social Security records. This would theoretically verify exactly who is eligible to participate.
This emergency application is just one piece of a much larger strategy. According to The New York Times, the administration is aggressively pushing for extra screening across the board.
The complex legal fights are piling up fast. White House lawyers recently asked the Supreme Court to alter the established rules for mail-in voting. This adds another layer of deep confusion.
Time running out
The timing of these requests makes the situation incredibly urgent. Several states have already started printing and mailing out ballots to their residents for the fall contests.
Time is quickly running out for these courtroom battles to reach a final settlement. The hotly contested midterm elections are now less than two months away.
Searching for noncitizens
The pressure coming from the top down is undeniable. Earlier this month, hundreds of Homeland Security agents launched an intense search for noncitizens on the voter rolls.
The New York Times reported that this federal crackdown continues despite very little proof to back up the claims. Investigators have found almost no evidence that noncitizens actually participate in national elections in any significant numbers.
Voting rights organizations strongly oppose the new screening tools. They argue that rushing this massive database overhaul will ultimately disenfranchise thousands of completely eligible American citizens.
Sources: The New York Times
