From The Center Square: Democratic officials from 23 states and the District of Columbia announced Friday they're suing to block President Donald Trump's recent executive order regulating mail-in and absentee ballots.

The suit was slated to be filed in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts. A copy of the lawsuit wasn't available as of press time.

Trump doesn't have the constitutional authority to control elections, California Attorney General Rob Bonta told reporters during a news conference Friday morning. Bonta, a Democrat who's co-leading the coalition of plaintiffs, noted the authority rests with states and Congress, not the federal executive branch.

"The framers of our Constitution made sure that how we choose our leaders is not put in the hands of a single leader" such as Trump, Bonta said.

Others co-leading the coalition of plaintiffs are Attorneys General Andrea Joy Campbell of Massachusetts, Aaron Ford of Nevada and Nick Brown of Washington state.

The Center Square reached out Friday morning to the White House, which noted the Republican president's order was designed to secure elections.

"Only Democrat politicians and operatives would be upset about lawful efforts to secure American elections and ensure only eligible American citizens are casting ballots," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, answering The Center Square's questions by email. "President Trump campaigned on securing our elections, and the American people sent him back to the White House to get the job done."

Trump's executive order, which was issued on March 31, is titled "Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections."  It cites the Help America Vote Act of 2002, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and the federal government's obligation to ensure a republican form of government in every state under Article IV, Section 4, of the US Constitution. The order also refers to federal laws prohibiting non-citizens from registering to vote or voting in federal elections and the executive branch's duty to enforce federal laws under Article II of the Constitution.

The executive order directs the secretary of homeland security to compile lists of US citizens who are 18 or older and send them to the chief election official of each state. The order says the list would be based on federal citizenship and naturalization records, Social Security records, SAVE data (used to verify citizenship) and other federal databases.

The order says states must notify the US Postal Service no fewer than 90 days before a federal election if they are using the postal service to deliver mail-in or absentee ballots. The order also says states must send a list of eligible voters to the postal service no fewer than 60 days before a federal election.

Bonta noted the order threatens states with loss of federal funding for failure to comply.

And he contended Trump's executive order would disrupt the process in which every registered voter in California automatically gets a ballot in the mail.

"Protecting elections is not partisan. Every eligible voter should be able to vote," Bonta said. "That is foundational to our democracy."

Bonta said he doesn't believe the executive order came soon enough to impact California's June 2 primary, but said it could interfere with the Nov. 3 general election. He added Trump is concerned about Republicans losing congressional seats.

In addition to officials in California, Massachusetts, Washington state, Nevada and the District of Columbia, the lawsuit against Trump's executive order is being filed by Democrat attorneys-general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is also among the plaintiffs. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Researcher Convinced He's Found Noah's Ark Delivers a Message for Critics

Roseanne Barr Is Coming Back With a New Family Series

Security Bite: Apple's Latest Update, iOS 27, Lets Apps Ask Your iPhone If You're Being Scammed

When Death is Dressed as a Cure

Democrat Socialist Policies Would Cost $350K Per Household, Shorten Life Expectancy, Report Finds

Texas County Takes Stand Against Sharia With Unanimous Vote

New California Law Forces Churches to Provide 'Hate Speech' Training

First Atlantic Hurricane of the Season, Isaias Strengthens into Category 3 Storm, Threatens Gulf Coast

Massive 2,000-Year-Old Discovery Brings the World of Jesus to Life

Remembering October 7th: Thousands of Christians Gather in Jerusalem to Fight 'Spiritual Battle'

Pro-Lifers Visit Millions of Homes in Battleground States Ahead of Midterms

If This Is True, CNN Just Dropped Some Huge Nicolás Maduro News

A Satanic Invocation Opens Iowa City Council Meeting

Recent Poll Finds Shocking Support for Sharia Law by America's Youth; Here's What They Don't Understand

FBI Arrests 18-Year-Old Accused of Plotting ISIS Mall of America Attack in Minnesota

Secretary of State Rubio's Brilliant Speech and Warning That Western Decline is a Consequence of the Left's Self-Hatred

1,000 Christian Leaders Gather in Israel to Honor Oct 7 Victims, Stand With Survivors

Christian Believers, Pastors, America Needs Your Biblical Voice

Dr. Malone's Deep Dive into the Russian 'Plague' and What We Should Know

FBI Arrests Washington 'Trans Woman' Accused of Helping Plot the Canadian School Shooting, Even Watching the Livestream as Children Were Shot