A number of civil rights groups in Michigan have joined together to sue Donald Trump and his losing campaign for violations of the Voting Rights Act for his repeated attempts to disenfranchise voters in the state.
According to documents filed in the US District Court in the District of Columbia, the plaintiffs, being represented by the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization and the NAACP, claim Trump and his campaign “have engaged in a variety of tactics designed to overturn the result of that election.”
The plaintiffs cite Trump’s public efforts to pressure and influence public officials, using the imprimatur of his office as President, to negate the votes of citizens to undermine the integrity of the election.
“They have actively pursued this strategy, compromising the integrity of the election process, and unlawfully interfering with will of the voters,” the filing states.
The plaintiffs go on to say that the effort is specifically aimed at disenfranchising Black voters in Detroit using false claims and hysteria to pressure these state officials to negate votes.
“[B]lack Americans were denied a voice in American democracy for most of the first two centuries of the Republic. … No more. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 flatly prohibits Defendants’ efforts to disenfranchise Black people and assault our Republic. This is a moment that many of us hoped never to face. But we are here, and the law is clear. It is time to enforce it,” the documents declare.