U.S. District Judge James Mahan on Monday threw out the Trump campaign’s lawsuit over Nevada’s vote-by-mail measure that directs all local elections officials to send mail-in ballots to all of the registered voters in the state.
Mahan ruled that the Trump campaign, along with the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Nevada GOP, “make no showing” of an unfair advantage against GOP candidates caused by the measure, known as Assembly Bill 4 (AB 4).
The judge described the plaintiffs’ claims–that voting by mail hurts Republicans and that mail-in ballots illegally distort the vote count–as “generalized and speculative.”
“Plaintiffs never describe how their member voters will be harmed by vote
dilution where other voters will not,” Mahan wrote. Republican candidates “face no harms that are unique from their electoral opponents.”
The lawsuit was filed against Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, who oversees the mail-in voting process and is also a Republican.
In his repeated attacks against AB 4, Trump has falsely claimed that Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, who signed the measure, is in charge of the ballots. The President has repeatedly peddled debunked conspiracy theories about mail-in voting, alleging that it allows Democrats to cheat elections.
Sisolak praised Mahan’s ruling on Twitter.
“I’m pleased to see a federal court judge has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to block AB4, a measure passed to expand options for Nevadans and provide for safe, fair & accessible elections during the pandemic,” the governor tweeted.
Nevada State Democratic Party Chair William McCurdy II said the dismissal was a “win for democracy” in a statement.
“Donald Trump and Republicans have been hell bent on limiting voting options for one clear reason: Republicans will lose if more Nevadans vote in this election,” McCurdy said.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment.
