ATLANTA – A federal judge has halted President Donald Trump’s plans to revamp U.S. elections. This decision favored a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general who argued that the move was unconstitutional.

The executive order, issued by Trump on March 25, aimed to enforce several changes, such as demanding documentary proof of citizenship from all who register to vote in federal elections, allowing only mail-in ballots arriving by Election Day, and tying federal election grant money to states complying with the new ballot timeframe.

The attorneys general contended that the order “oversteps the States’ constitutional authority and attempts to change election law unilaterally.” In response, the White House has justified the order as a measure to ensure “free, fair, and honest elections,” describing the citizenship proof as a “commonsense” stipulation.

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