Court dismisses Pa. Freedom Caucus lawsuit challenging automatic voter registration [View all]
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by two dozen conservative state lawmakers that claimed ballot access initiatives by President Joe Biden and Gov. Josh Shapiro usurped the state Legislature’s authority to direct federal elections in the commonwealth.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson’s one-page order on Tuesday grants motions by state and federal officials to dismiss the case. The order also denies a request by two dozen conservative lawmakers for a preliminary injunction to block the ballot access initiatives, including Shapiro’s executive order implementing automatic voter registration for driver’s license applicants.
In a statement, Shapiro said automatic voter registration is safe, secure, efficient, and entirely within his administration’s authority. Shapiro said that in 2020, when he was attorney general, he defeated Donald Trump and “his conspiracy theorist allies” in court to defend Pennsylvania residents’ votes and access to the ballot box.
“Today, we’ve done it again by getting their frivolous effort to stop automatic voter registration in our Commonwealth dismissed,” Shapiro’s statement said. Shapiro added that he remains focused on protecting democracy and ensuring elections are free, fair, safe, and secure.
https://penncapital-star.com/briefs/court-dismisses-pa-freedom-caucus-lawsuit-challenging-automatic-voter-registration/