Recently, on the eve of the US presidential election, the Republican Party has been involved in multiple lawsuits in key states involving clearing voter lists, tightening overseas voter registration rules, but due to the proximity to the election, results have been unfavorable, prompting the Republican Party to announce plans to appeal.
According to Reuters, in the three weeks from early October to late October, allies of Republican presidential candidate Trump lost at least ten lawsuits in key states that could determine the November 5 presidential outcome.
Last Friday (October 25), they suffered another defeat in Virginia. A federal judge blocked the state from removing voters identified by the Republican Party as unable to prove their citizenship from the voter lists.
District Judge Patricia Toliver Giles stated that removing these individuals violated federal laws prohibiting large-scale voter list purges within 90 days of an election. Virginia is not a swing state in this election. The Republican Party has expressed intentions to appeal.
On October 15, a judge in Georgia ruled that local election officials must certify election results, rejecting claims by Republican Election Commission member Julie Adams that she has the authority to not do so. Adams is currently appealing.
In another lawsuit, the same judge issued an order blocking the implementation of manual counting rules in Georgia, citing that the change was too close to the election.
In a third case, Trump’s allies’ efforts to push for manual counting rules and six other changes were declared invalid by Georgia District Court Judge Thomas Cox, citing that these changes violated state laws.
Cox stated in the ruling that the last-minute rule changes by the Election Commission exceeded its authority.
Subsequently, Republicans filed a motion with the Georgia Supreme Court for expedited handling of their appeal against Cox’s ruling, but the request was denied. This means the case won’t be resolved until next year.
Republican National Committee spokesman Claire Zunk stated that these rule changes are “common-sense measures to protect our elections,” and the party is confident in their appeal.
In recent weeks, the Republican Party has also sought to clear voter lists in Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, and Michigan, requesting the removal of unqualified or non-citizen voters.
These lawsuits have also failed because judges deemed them too close to the election.
US federal law prohibits systematic clearing of voter lists within 90 days or shorter before an election. Additionally, longstanding court precedents suggest that judges should avoid making last-minute changes to election rules to prevent voter confusion.
The Republican Party is appealing these rulings.
The Republican Party’s lawsuits seeking to restrict overseas voting in key states have also faced unfavorable rulings.
On October 21, a judge in Michigan rejected a lawsuit seeking to tighten residency requirements for absentee overseas ballots, stating that the case lacked merit and was filed too late.
In North Carolina, Republicans hoped for a preliminary injunction barring the state from using the same voting eligibility rules for overseas voters as residents of the state. This request was denied.
In response, Republican National Committee spokesperson Zunk stated: “We are appealing both of these decisions in Michigan and North Carolina because the law in both states is clear: you can’t influence their elections if you have never lived there.”
Other rulings include four adverse rulings for Republicans in Georgia. Judges blocked last-minute changes to election rules advocated by Trump allies, including a provision requiring manual counting of ballots by election workers, and cases seeking to clear voter lists and prevent some US citizens living abroad from voting.
Some of the Republican-filed cases’ outcomes may be overturned on appeal, while others are still pending.
Zunk defended the party’s legal record in a statement, stating they will continue to “fight for fair and transparent elections for all Americans.”
She said: “Our unprecedented Election Integrity Action is committed to upholding the law and protecting every legitimate vote. We have been involved in and won a record number of legal battles to ensure our elections.”
However, Democrats and voting rights organizations have accused Republicans of trying to make voting and tallying more difficult.
Since August, Republicans have won at least seven lawsuits.
Last Friday, the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that mail-in ballots must be received before Election Day to be counted. This decision rendered the five-day grace period in Mississippi ineffective. Mississippi is not a swing state, and the ruling does not directly apply to any key states.
Other successful lawsuits include stopping Georgia from extending voter registration deadlines, compelling Michigan to tighten signature verification measures, and prohibiting the use of digital college IDs for voting in North Carolina, among others.
According to the election litigation tracking site Democracy Docket, founded by a Democratic election attorney, there have been 265 election-related lawsuits filed during this election cycle, with 71 filed by Republicans and their allies.
Some analysts believe that some of the Republicans’ lawsuits may have been destined to fail from the start, with the goal of highlighting vulnerabilities in the election system and the potential for fraud.
【This article referred to a report by Reuters】