State Rep. Dawn Keefer filed a lawsuit that challenges Biden’s order directing federal agencies to work with private groups funded by liberal billionaires.
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, seeks to immediately halt President Biden’s executive order.
“The president gave his directive to all of his agencies that they are supposed to facilitate voter registration through third-party agencies, that we can’t get the contracts to or or we don’t know what any of the details are, who they’re working with, and how,” Keefer told the Daily Signal.
Keefer’s lawsuit aims to stop Biden’s executive actions that threaten election integrity in Pennsylvania. Under the U.S. Constitution, the state’s power to regulate presidential elections rests with the legislature, not the governor.
Biden’s executive order violates Act 88, a Pennsylvania state law preventing private dollars from funding election administration, according to Keefer’s filing.
The lawsuit also challenges Governor Shapiro’s executive order from September 2023 requiring automatic voter registration, which failed to pass the General Assembly multiple times. The lawsuit cites the elections clause of the U.S. Constitution, which states that the duty of determining the time, place, and manner of elections is the jurisdiction of the state legislatures.
“The PA state legislators have, through proper legislative acts, passed a law that prohibits the influence of third-party entities in elections,” the suit argues, but “Biden’s executive order contradicts Pennsylvania state election laws.”
Heather Honey, executive director of Election Research Institute, told the Daily Signal that the U.S. District Court could hold a hearing on plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction within 30 days.
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