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<small><p><em>This course is a two (2) hour program offering 2 NYS professional practice CLE Credits to attorneys who attend, and is appropriate for newly admitted and experienced attorneys. Non-attorneys and those not seeking credit are also welcome and encouraged to attend!&nbsp;In hopes that this vital discussion reaches a broad audience, and in recognition of current times, this CLE is FREE to everyone who attends. </em></p><p><em>Newly admitted attorneys may receive credit for this CLE pursuant to the requirements provided by the New York State CLE Board. Please note that newly admitted attorneys based in law offices outside of the United States may fulfill up to 16 credit hours in any approved format. The remaining credit hours must be completed in a format permissible for the category of credit. Further, newly admitted attorneys eligible for a prorated CLE requirement must complete the credit in a format permissible for the category of credit, except that no more than 14 credits may be earned through nonparticipatory formats, such as on-demand audio or video, or live broadcast.</em></p></small>

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<p>On Marc<span style="color: var(--color-text)">h 25th, President Trump issued an executive order seeking greater control over U.S. elections </span>by imposing proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration, restricting mail-in ballots, and granting Elon Musk’s DOGE access to sensitive voter data. </p><p><strong><span style="color: var(--color-text-accent-primary)">The order poses an urgent threat to voting rights and election integrity</span></strong>, but faces multiple legal challenges from Democrats and voting rights groups.</p>

<h4>Trump Executive Order Targeting Elections</h4>

<p>The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing the New York State Board of Elections for failing to provide an un-redacted copy of the state’s voter registration list, complete with voters’ date of birth and address. <strong>The NYSBOE declined the DOJ’s request, citing state election laws and federal privacy provisions. </strong></p><p>The DOJ has now sued 29 states, plus Washington, D.C., for access state voter files. Stay up to date with the latest updates on Democracy Docket.</p>

<h4>DOJ Sues NYSBOE Over Voter File</h4>

<p>In the final days of the legislative session, the state Legislature voted to give <strong>preliminary approval for a constitutional amendment allowing it to redraw New York’s congressional lines ahead of the 2028 elections.</strong> The amendment won’t be finalized until the Legislature approves it again next year and voters pass it as a referendum in November 2027.</p>

<h4>NY Democrats Give Preliminary Approval to Redistricting Amendment</h4>

<p>In a win for voters, <strong>the SAVE Act has currently failed to move forward in the Senate.</strong> </p>

<h4>UPDATE: SAVE Act Stalls in Senate</h4>

<p>On March 31, the Trump administration released an executive order targeting mail-in voting via oversight of the USPS, among other actions. </p><p>The lawsuit argues that <strong>the executive order is an unconstitutional infringement upon states’ power to regulate elections.</strong> The lawsuit argues, “if permitted, the President’s actions would fundamentally alter the constitutional balance between the states and the federal government by allowing the Executive Branch to wield federal power to pressure states into adopting federal preferences for the conduct of elections.”</p>

<h4>Democrats Sue Trump Administration Over Mail-in Voting Order</h4>

<p>The AZ Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit by the state GOP and anti-voting groups that sought to restrict how mail-in ballot signatures are verified. <strong>The court found the plaintiffs lacked standing, and that the matter was one of partisan disagreement.</strong></p><p>Democracy Docket writes: "With nearly 90% of Arizonans voting by mail, the ruling preserves a flexible signature verification system that prevents wrongful ballot rejections, while also making clear that courts won’t indulge partisan lawsuits..."</p>

<h4>Arizona Court Rejects GOP Lawsuit Targeting Mail Voting</h4>

<p>The New York Court of Appeals<strong><span style="color: var(--color-text-accent-primary)"> struck down a law that would have allowed over 800,000 non-citizens to vote in NYC municipal elections.</span></strong> The 6-1 decision reaffirmed lower court rulings that the state constitution limits voting rights to U.S. citizens.</p>

<h4>New York's Top Court Strikes Down Noncitizen Voting Law</h4>

<p>The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has requested documents from the Ulster County Board of Elections as part of an “ongoing investigation.” Although the DOJ has not provided additional details, <strong>the request comes amid the president’s ongoing attacks on mail voting and election integrity and calls for increased federal control over elections.</strong></p>

<h4>DOJ Requests Files From Ulster BOE</h4>

<p>Black and Hispanic Residents in Newburgh challenged the Town’s method for electing Board members, alleging dilution of minority voting power under the New York Voting Rights Act (NYVRA). This ruling by the NY Court of Appeals overturns a trial court’s ruling that found the NYVRA to be unconstitutional.<strong> In addition to upholding the NYVRA more broadly, the ruling impacts similar lawsuits in both Mt. Pleasant and Cheektowaga.</strong></p>

<h4>NY Court of Appeals Upholds NYVRA in Newburgh</h4>

<h2>Register to Vote</h2>

<p>A federal judge blocked federal agencies from implementing Trump’s <a href="https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-signs-sweeping-order-attacking-mail-in-voting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">executive order attacking mail voting</a>. This ruling applies in the 23 states that sued to halt Trump’s order.</p><p>This ruling comes after Postmaster General David Steiner <a href="https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/postmaster-general-steiner-postal-service-will-not-deliver-mail-ballots-state-voter-rolls/">publicly confirmed</a> that the Postal Service would not deliver mail ballots in states that refused to hand over their voter information.</p><p><strong>The judge found that major parts of the executive order were “legally void” for exceeding the president’s power and violating the separation of powers by encroaching on states’ authority to administer elections.</strong></p>

<h4>Judge Blocks Trump's Executive Order Targeting Mail Voting</h4>

<p>The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to New York’s new law that moves most local elections to even-numbered years to align with state and federal races. The Court’s ruling comes after New York's Court of Appeals ruled that the law is constitutional in October.</p>

<h4>SCOTUS Declines to Hear Challenge to NY Even-Year Elections</h4>

<p>On August 24th, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/in-major-blow-to-voters-supreme-court-greenlights-trumps-attack-on-mail-voting-before-midterms/">cleared the way for USPS rulemaking</a>, but <strong>did not rule on the constitutionality of the executive order itself.</strong> The court held that, since the USPS had not yet implemented a final rule, the case was not yet ripe for a decision. The USPS, however, issued its <a href="https://about.usps.com/what/government-services/election-mail/pdf/faq-usps-final-rule-ballot-mail-federal-elections.pdf">final rule</a> on August 21st, providing an actual rule for the courts to weigh rather than a hypothetical one.&nbsp;<br></p><p><strong>At every step of the way, Democrats have been ready to meet the moment</strong>, immediately filing new challenges. We expect these challenges to reach the Supreme Court again, this time evaluating constitutionality.&nbsp;</p><p>There is a limited, nationwide 14-day temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing the USPS from implementing the order while courts weigh this new wave of lawsuits. </p>

<h4>UPDATE: Litigation Over Mail Voting Executive Order Continues</h4>

<p>In January, Republicans reintroduced a revised version of the SAVE Act, the SAVE America Act, which passed the House on February 11 and is currently under consideration in the Senate. Trump has declared that it should be Congress’ “<a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/03/09/congress/trump-save-america-act-gop-00819673">number one priority</a>” ahead of the midterm elections, as the voter suppression measure will “<a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/03/09/congress/trump-save-america-act-gop-00819673">guarantee</a>” Republican victory in the midterm elections.</p><p><strong>Here's everything you need to know.</strong></p>

<h4>UPDATE: The Save America Act</h4>

<p>The NY Republican State Committee has filed a lawsuit challenging New York State’s Even Year Election Law, which aims to boost turnout for local elections by aligning them with state and federal elections. <strong>The law was upheld in mid-October by the New York Court of Appeals.</strong></p>

<h4>Republicans Challenge NY Even-Year Election Law</h4>

<p>The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued an announcement that nongovernmental groups are barred from registering new voters at naturalization ceremonies. Only state and local election officials are now permitted to register voters at these ceremonies.&nbsp;</p><p>At a naturalization ceremony in Ulster, the League of Women Voters continued to register new voters. Despite the new policy, <strong>the group’s Mid-Hudson Region chapter attended a ceremony at SUNY Ulster where they registered 14 new voters.</strong></p>

<h4>Trump Administration Blocks Groups from Voter Registration at Naturalization Events</h4>

<p>The Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in <em>Watson v. Republican National Committee</em>. A ruling is expected in June, and if the Court rejects Mississippi’s mail ballot law, it could have nationwide implications for mail voting. Mississippi currently allows mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if they are received within five days after the election. At least 18 other states, including New York, have similar grace periods for ballots postmarked by Election Day.</p><p><strong>The case comes as the Trump administration continues efforts to restrict mail voting nationwide.</strong></p>

<h4>Supreme Court Appears Poised to Reject Late-Arriving Mail-in Ballots Law</h4>

<p>In a huge win for voters, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold grace periods for mail ballots.</p><p>Writing for the majority, Justice Amy Coney Barrett rejected the GOP’s argument that federal laws setting a date for elections preempted states from accepting ballots received after that day.</p><p><strong>States, including New York, <em>can</em> count ballots postmarked by Election Day but received after.</strong></p>

<h4>SCOTUS Upholds Grace Periods for Mail Ballots</h4>

<p>In a major win for PA voters, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ruling requiring Pennsylvania to count mail-in ballots that are undated or wrongly dated. In a unanimous opinion, the court found the date requirement violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments, noting it has led to thousands of ballots being wrongly discarded in past elections. </p><p><strong>Judge D. Brooks Smith stressed that democracy is about counting votes, not disqualifying them on technicalities.&nbsp;</strong></p>

<h4>Court Rules that Pennsylvania Must Count Undated Mail-In Ballots</h4>

<p>The Supreme Court will hear oral argument for <em>Callais v. Landry</em> on October 15, a high-stakes Louisiana redistricting case that could upend the Voting Rights Act. </p><p>By ordering supplementary briefs and asking whether majority-minority districts themselves violate the Constitution,<strong> the conservative-majority Court signaled it may use the case to upend Section 2 of the VRA.&nbsp; </strong></p><p>On August 27th, both parties submitted supplemental briefs to the Court, as requested.&nbsp; </p>

<h4>Supreme Court to Rehear High-Stakes Redistricting Case Threatening Voting Rights Act</h4>

<p>In a 4-3 ruling on May 8th, the Virginia Supreme Court approved a GOP bid to throw out the results of a special election in which voters approved a new congressional map proposed by Democrats. The ruling was based on procedural rules. <a href="https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/virginia-supreme-court-rejects-democrats-redistricting-plan-throws-out-election/">Read more</a>.</p><p>Moreover, in the wake of the <em>Louisiana</em> <em>v. Callais</em> SCOTUS ruling, states across the country have rushed to redraw maps.</p>

<h4>May Redistricting Updates</h4>

<p>Heather Honey, a prominent election conspiracy theorist, has been appointed as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Elections Integrity at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.</p><p>Honey is the founder of Pennsylvania Fair Elections and has been involved in efforts to undermine the 2020 election, remove registered voters from states rolls and spread election-based lies and conspiracies. <strong>Her appointment raises concerns about the growing influence of election denial networks within federal agencies.</strong></p>

<h4>Leading Election Conspiracy Theorist Appointed to DHS Leadership Position</h4>

<p>After sending requesting voter data from states, the DOJ announced that it is “exploring whether they can bring criminal charges against state or local election officials if the Trump administration determines they have not sufficiently safeguarded their computer systems.” The New York Times reports that <strong>this exploration is not based on new evidence, data, or legal authority</strong>.</p>

<h4>DOJ Explores Criminal Charges Against Election Officials</h4>

<p>The Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE program, which verifies immigration and citizenship status, is used by some states to help determine voter eligibility. However, SAVE relies on outdated and incomplete databases, raising the risk of misidentifying citizens as noncitizens and prompting erroneous voter purges. The Brennan Center cautions that <strong>the “SAVE program should be considered useful, but not definitive, in assessing an individual’s citizenship.”</strong></p>

<h4>Homeland Security's "SAVE" Program Exacerbates Risks to Voters</h4>

<p>A New York state appeals court <strong><span style="color: var(--color-text-accent-primary)">upheld a 2023 law shifting many local elections to even years</span></strong>, aligning them with state and federal contests. </p><p>The unanimous decision reverses a lower court's ruling that deemed the law unconstitutional. <strong><span style="color: var(--color-text-accent-primary)">The law takes effect in 2025 </span></strong><span style="color: var(--color-text)">and impacts several local offices outside of NYC, </span>resulting in shortened terms for some elected officials.</p>

<h4><span style="color: var(--color-text)">NY Elections Shakeup: </span>Local Elections Move to Even Years</h4>

<p>A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration acted unlawfully in trying to expand the SAVE database, run by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, to verify voter eligibility. <strong>The judge ordered the government to stop using the database in its current configuration.</strong></p>

<h4>Judge Blocks Trump Database to Verify Voter Eligibility</h4>

<p><strong><span style="color: var(--color-text-accent-primary)">Federal court temporarily blocks President Trump's executive order </span></strong><span style="color: var(--color-text)">requiring documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote.</span></p>

<h4><span style="color: var(--color-text)">UPDATE: Judge Blocks Trump's Anti-Voting Executive Order</span></h4>

<p>Write a little something about your issue here. You can only write about a paragraph here, but you can turn on <strong>an option to create full issues pages</strong> on the options sidebar of the issues page.</p>

<h2>Vote by Mail</h2>

<p>House Republicans advanced two voter-restriction efforts: a budget reconciliation framework with $10 billion of election-related grants tied to Trump's SAVE America Act, and a stock-trading ban bill with a voter ID provision attached. <strong>However, despite Republican control of the Senate, it is unlikely that Trump will see any version of SAVE enacted ahead of the midterms.</strong></p>

<h4>House Passes SAVE Act Measures in Budget Reconciliation &amp; Stock Trading Bills</h4>

<p><strong><span style="color: var(--color-text)">A federal judge in Massachusetts has blocked Trump’s executive order</span></strong> requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections, as well as a directive to penalize states that count mail ballots after Election Day. </p><p><strong><span style="color: var(--color-text-accent-primary)">This marks the second major ruling against the order</span></strong>, building on an April 25th decision in D.C., but goes further by fully blocking the executive order from taking effect until resolution of the case.</p>

<h4>Trump Executive Order UPDATE: Judge Blocks Proof of Citizenship Requirement</h4>

<p>On April 10th, the House of Representatives passed the SAVE Act -Republicans’ latest attempt to suppress the vote under the pretense of election security.</p><p><strong><span style="color: var(--color-text-accent-primary)">This bill creates barriers, not solutions</span></strong><span style="color: var(--color-text)"> by </span>imposing documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements that would disenfranchise millions.</p><p>While the SAVE Act is not expected to become federal law, the bill has already <strong><span style="color: var(--color-text-accent-primary)">spawned copycat legislation in state legislatures across the country.</span></strong></p>

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<h4>The SAVE Act</h4>

<p>Congressional districts are usually redrawn once per decade after the census, but a mid-decade redistricting push led by Trump and Texas Republicans has sparked a nationwide battle over congressional maps. Both parties are now pursuing redistricting efforts in multiple states ahead of the 2026 elections, with control of Congress hanging in the balance. <strong>View the latest map and state-level redistricting updates </strong><a href="https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-congress-house-trump-gerrymander-2e5948055064f6e335170977bc4247f0"><strong>here</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p>

<h4>Redistricting Roundup</h4>

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<p>In court, the Department of Justice (DOJ) acknowledged that it plans to share the voter registration data it gets from states with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The plan is to run the voter file through the SAVE system, a U.S. citizenship check housed at DHS. Many question the integrity and reliability of the DHS’ SAVE system, as some U.S. citizens have been inaccurately flagged as non-citizens.</p><p><strong>The DOJ has yet to make any public announcements about a data sharing agreement </strong>or host a forum for public comment, which is required under the Privacy Act before data is shared.</p>

<h4>DOJ Acknowledges Plans to Share Voter Files with DHS</h4>

<p>A federal judge threw out the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit seeking New York’s unredacted statewide voter file.</p><p>The judge found that neither the Civil Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), nor the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) authorized the department’s demands. The judge also reiterated that <strong>the administration of elections belongs to the States.</strong></p>

<h4>Court Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit for NY Voter File</h4>

<p>The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sent a letter to various states, including the New York State Board of Elections, requesting access to the state’s full voter registration rolls and posing questions about how New York is complying with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). <strong>The move represents an unprecedented expansion of federal involvement in elections, which are managed by states.</strong></p>

<h4>All the States Where DOJ is Demanding Voting Data</h4>

<h2>Request a Mail-in Ballot</h2>

<h2>Vote in Person</h2>

<p>A federal court permanently blocked implementation of a Trump Administration executive order that sought to impose documentary proof of citizenship requirements. <strong>The court ruled that the president lacks the authority to unilaterally alter election procedures</strong>, since those powers rest with Congress and the states.</p>

<h4>Federal Court Strikes Down Trump Executive Order on Elections</h4>

<p>This week marked another chapter in the fight over Trump's <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/ensuring-citizenship-verification-and-integrity-in-federal-elections/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">executive order attacking mail voting</a>, which instructs the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to deliver mail ballots only to voters on approved lists.</p><p>A ruling is expected imminently, but let's be clear.&nbsp;Should SCOTUS rule in favor of the Trump Administration, <strong>the fight is not over.</strong> If the Court lifts the current injunction, the USPS says it will move to “issue a final rule” implementing Trump’s executive order, opening a new avenue for litigation.&nbsp;</p>

<h4>Supreme Court Weighs Mail Voting Executive Order</h4>

<p>In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court ruled to “<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-109_21o3.pdf">eviscerate</a>” Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which has restricted racial gerrymandering and racial discrimination in voting for more than 50 years. <strong>The <em>Louisiana v. Callais</em> decision makes Section 2 impossible to enforce in practice</strong>, leaving room for Republicans across the country to “draw district lines in ways that undercut the political power of minority voters with virtually no limit.”</p>

<h4>SCOTUS Guts Section 2 of the VRA</h4>

<p>The Supreme Court temporarily blocked a New York court order requiring the state to redraw the lines of its 11th Congressional District. The ruling effectively pauses a New York trial court’s ruling that claimed the district’s lines “unlawfully diluted the voting strength of Black and Latino communities in violation of the state constitution.” <strong>As a result, the 2024 lines will remain in place for the 2026 midterm elections.</strong></p>

<h4>SCOTUS Halts NY-11 Redraw</h4>

<p>In a case stemming from North Dakota's 2021 redistricting plan, the Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether <em>citizens</em> can sue under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.</p><p>The justices paused the Eighth Circuit's ruling from taking effect while the court decides whether to hear the case.&nbsp;But, if the Court ultimately upholds that decision nationwide,<strong> it would represent the most significant rollback of voting rights since <em>Shelby County v. Holder</em> </strong>in 2013.</p>

<h4>Supreme Court Asked to Decide if Citizens Can Still Enforce VRA</h4>

<p>On his podcast this week, Steve Bannon suggested that Trump deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to major U.S. airports as part of a “<a href="https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/bannon-trump-ice-airport-deployment-test-run-2026-midterm-elections/">test run</a>” for stationing agents at polling sites this November, despite the DHS Assistant Secretary for Election Integrity claiming there “<a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/02/25/nx-s1-5726768/ice-agents-midterm-elections">will be no ICE presence at polling locations</a>.” The Democratic National Committee (DNC) <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/us/politics/democrats-sue-to-find-out-if-trump-will-send-armed-officers-to-election-sites.html">filed a lawsuit</a> on March 10 to compel the government to say whether it plans to deploy armed federal officers in this year’s elections.</p>

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