Democratic states sue to block Trump's mail-in ballot restrictions

The leaders of 23 Democratic-run US states have sued to block new mail-in voting restrictions that were issued in an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump earlier this week.

The lawsuit argues that the president does not have the constitutional right to interfere with elections, which are run by state governments.

The new rules "transgress Plaintiff States' constitutional power to prescribe the time, place, and manner of federal elections" and attempt to "amend and dictate election law by fiat based on the President's whims", according to the lawsuit.

The US Constitution gives oversight of federal elections to the states, while Congress has the ability to make changes.

Trump has promoted claims without evidence of widespread voter fraud through mail-in voting. He said he recently voted by mail in Florida because he is the US president. His son and wife have also voted by mail in recent elections.

Trump's order, signed on Tuesday, calls for the government to compile a list of all citizens who are eligible to vote.

It also directs the US Postal Service to "transmit ballots only to individuals enrolled on a State-specific Mail-in and Absentee Participation List, ensuring that only eligible absentee or mail-in voters receive absentee or mail-in ballots".

New York Attorney General Letitia ​James, one of the Democrats involved in the lawsuit, said in a statement: "Free ​and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, and no president has ⁠the power to rewrite the rules on his own."

Legal experts say they are doubtful that Trump has the authority to make such sweeping changes to how states run their elections.

The new rules are unlikely to take effect before November's midterm elections, when the balance of power in the US Congress is up for grabs.

Judges have already blocked a different Trump executive order on elections that threatened to withhold election funding from certain states that don't follow the president's orders.

The newest executive order comes as Trump has been pushing Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would overhaul US voting rules by requiring proof of US citizenship to vote.