OKLAHOMA CITY (Aug. 21, 2024) - With early and absentee voting for the 2024 presidential election set to begin in a matter of weeks, Attorney General Gentner Drummond is fighting to protect election integrity with a pair of recent filings.
On Aug. 13, Drummond joined fellow attorneys general to challenge the Biden-Harris administration’s voter registration scheme. Then on Aug. 15, Drummond and his colleagues filed a brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota and confirm that states can make their own rules governing elections, including requiring proof of citizenship to vote.
The Aug. 13 lawsuit, Montana v. Biden, addresses Executive Order 14019, allegedly written by advocacy groups and signed by President Biden in 2021. That executive order directs federal agencies and departments to use money given by Congress to conduct voter registration activities even though Congress did not authorize that activity or use of funds.
For example, the U.S. Department of Justice is registering prisoners to vote despite no opportunity for public comment. In many states, it is illegal for felons to vote. Drummond’s lawsuit asks a federal court to declare the executive order unconstitutional and stop all agencies from implementing the order.
In the Aug. 15 filing, Drummond and the RNC coalition argue that states have the right to conduct their own elections. According to the brief, courts have chipped away at states’ authority to secure their own elections. “Voting by noncitizens, both legal and illegal, is real,” the brief states. “The typical rejoinder is to claim that few noncitizens vote. On its own terms, though, the answer at least acknowledges that the problem persists. But it also ignores that even small voting blocs can have outsized effects on electoral outcomes.”
Drummond emphasized American confidence in electoral outcomes as crucial for a strong Republic.
“Oklahoma is fortunate to have the most secure elections in the country,” Drummond said. “Our elected officials have prioritized election integrity. When states wish to protect the integrity of their elections, we should support and encourage those actions. The federal government should not interfere with any states’ right to conduct their own lawful elections.”
States joining Oklahoma in this multi-state lawsuit include Montana and Kansas as leaders along with Iowa, South Dakota, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Carolina.
Additionally joining Oklahoma in the Kansas- and West Virginia-led brief were Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana Missouri Montana Nebraska New Hampshire North Dakota Ohio South Carolina South Dakota Texas Utah Virginia.