On Aug. 18 the Trump Campaign Committee sued the state of New Jersey in federal court here to invalidate Gov. Murphy’s Aug. 14 executive order authorizing “universal vote-by-mail” voting, and providing that ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Nov. 10 be counted. Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. v. Murphy.
The most significant federal claim is that a governor’s executive order violates the federal Constitution’s “elections clause,” which provides that the “time, place and manner” of congressional and presidential elections be set by state legislatures. Further claims were asserted based on the right to vote; violation of federal election statutes; and equal protection (citing Bush v. Gore).
