Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers has joined a coalition of nine attorneys general in challenging the Biden-Harris Administration’s plan to repurpose federal tax dollars for voter registration, which they argue threatens state authority over elections.
Executive Order 14019, signed by President Biden in 2021, directs federal agencies and departments to use funds allocated by Congress for voter registration activities. Information on the implementation of this executive order became public only in August of last year. The federal government has limited authority to regulate voter registration, as that power is primarily granted to the states.
“The Biden Administration’s Order appears to be a politicized get-out-the-vote campaign facilitated by taxpayer dollars given to one-sided third-party ‘partners,’” said Attorney General Hilgers. “It is unlawful, and we will fight it.”
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, seeks a declaration that the executive order is unconstitutional and unlawful and requests an injunction preventing all agencies from implementing the order.
According to the lawsuit, EO 14019 exceeds any authority executive entities have under federal law, violates the Constitution, threatens states’ attempts to regulate voter registration, and undermines state-established voter registration systems. This could impact federal, state, and local elections.
Attorneys general from Iowa, South Dakota, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Carolina have also joined the lawsuit led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach.