AG Jackley, Secretary Johnson oppose Biden election executive order
Jackley joins multi-state lawsuit looking to overturn 2021 order from President
South Dakota’s top prosecutor and election official are objecting to White House orders that the federal government involve itself in cultivating voter registration.
Attorney General Marty Jackley on Wednesday signed onto a legal challenge with attorneys general from seven other states opposing a 2021 executive order from President Joe Biden mandating federal agencies to craft intra-department initiatives to boost the number of registered voters, particularly in areas with significant ethnic minority populations.
“This is an election integrity issue and another overreach by the federal government against the states,” Jackley said in a statement to The Dakota Scout. “Federal agencies should not become instruments for the Biden Administration’s partisan voter registration drive. South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson and county auditors should not be subject to federal interference in their duties regarding voter registration and our elections.”
Jackley and his counterparts in Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Carolina — all Republicans — contend Biden’s order is beyond the executive branch’s constitutional authority and undermines the role of states in managing voter registration.
Johnson, a Republican who earned the office in 2022 after campaigning on election integrity, echoed the Attorney General’s remarks.
“I’m proud to represent South Dakota and join Attorney General Marty Jackley in support of this lawsuit and the fight to protect election integrity,” she said.
From the order, "The right to vote is the foundation of American democracy. Free and fair elections that reflect the will of the American people must be protected and defended."
The horror!!! I'm pretty sure if President Biden cured cancer, SD elected officials would still find a reason to complain about it. Is this lawsuit the groundwork being laid for the inevitable 'stolen election' claims we'll hear in November if Harris wins?
Wherever there’s someone trying to make the world slightly less shitty, there’s always a Republican in the way to try and stop it.