As Donald Trump woos overseas voters, Republicans seek restrictions in court

Republicans are trying to stop what they call illegal overseas voting, even as presidential candidate Donald Trump courted Americans living overseas in his race against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. The case is being filed in two key battleground states. The case comes as Republicans have launched an aggressive legal campaign nationwide through lawsuits that they say aims to restore confidence in elections by preventing people from voting illegally. However, Democrats and legal experts say the goal is to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the process. . The Republican National Committee said in lawsuits filed in Michigan and North Carolina courts on Tuesday and Oct. 2, respectively, that state election laws require a relative to vote even if they have never lived in those states. They argued that the state was unfairly allowing Americans living abroad to vote in the state. .

“Residents of North Carolina and Michigan should not have their votes canceled by people who have never lived in our states,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement Tuesday.

In a separate federal lawsuit filed in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on September 30, a group of Republican members of Congress argued that the state was unfairly exempting overseas voters from identification requirements. Each of these lawsuits was filed about a month before the Nov. 5 election. The judge has not yet issued a ruling, and each state’s existing overseas voting procedures remain in effect.

In a motion seeking intervention in the Pennsylvania case, the Democratic National Committee said Republicans’ goal was to “secure tens of thousands of votes cast by legally registered military and overseas voters.” .

The Pennsylvania Secretary of State’s Office, a Republican, called the Republican lawsuit an “attempt to confuse and scare people ahead of a critical election,” and said making false statements when registering to vote is a felony. He said he may be questioned.

A public hearing is scheduled for next Friday. Patrick Gannon, a spokesman for the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said the law, which has been in the works for more than 13 years, is being challenged by Republicans and would otherwise prevent Americans from voting. said. He said early voting has already begun in the state. “The time to challenge voter eligibility rules is well before the election, not after the polls have closed,” Gannon said Friday.

Approximately 2.9 million Americans living abroad were eligible to vote in 2020, but fewer than 8% were eligible to vote, according to the Federal Voting Assistance Program. The Federal Voting Assistance Program is a government agency that helps military members and other Americans living overseas with voting arrangements.

President Trump courted American voters overseas earlier this week, pledging to lower taxes by eliminating what the former president called “double taxation.” (Some U.S. expatriates are required to pay taxes to both the U.S. government and foreign authorities.) His campaign has not provided details about the proposed policy. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on October 8, Harris has a narrow lead over Trump nationally, 46% to 43%, but the winner will depend on the Electoral College results for each state. It is likely that the seven battleground states will decide the winner. Trump won Michigan and Pennsylvania in 2016, but Democratic President Joe Biden won both states in 2020. Trump won North Carolina both years, but former Democratic President Barack Obama won the state in 2008, and it is considered a battleground state this year.