Trump moved to stop N.J. from early ballot counting, accepting late votes

President Donald Trump’s re-campaign today filed an order to show cause to determine why a federal judge should not stop New Jersey from early counting of general election ballots and permitting mail-in ballots with no postmark to be accepted up to 48 hours after Election Day.

The Trump campaign and the Republican national and state party organizations is suing Gov. Phil Murphy in a challenge to the constitutionality of an executive order requiring the November 3 election to be conducted primarily through vote-by-mail ballots.

“The public interest obviously weighs in favor of enjoining the government from violating federal law,” lawyer for Trump and the GOP said in their brief.  ““Confidence in the integrity of our electoral processes is essential to the functioning of our participatory democracy. Voter fraud drives honest citizens out of the democratic process and breeds distrust of our government. Voters who fear their legitimate votes will be outweighed by fraudulent ones will feel disenfranchised.”

“Congress did not intend voting to continue after Election Day,” the Republicans said.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael A. Shipp ordered attorneys in the case to “meet and confer regarding a briefing schedule” no later than today.