Republicans sue Colorado in surging attack on overseas voters

By Yunior Rivas

Protesters and attendees march together northbound on University Avenue in Toronto for the 'No Tyrants' rally held in Toronto. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Toronto on Saturday for the "No Tyrants" rally, the name used in countries with constitutional monarchies for the broader "No Kings" movement opposing U.S. President Donald Trump. Organized in part by Democrats Abroad, the event drew a large crowd that included many self-identified American citizens living in Canada. Marchers sang and carried signs as they walked through downtown Toronto streets near the U.S. Consulate. The Toronto action was part of a global day of protest, with more than 3,100 events organized across all 50 U.S. states and sister demonstrations held internationally, including in Canada, Mexico, Australia, and parts of Europe. (Photo by Stacey Newman / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

The Republican National Committee (RNC) filed a new lawsuit Friday seeking to block certain U.S. citizens living abroad from voting in Colorado — the second such lawsuit within a week and the latest escalation in the GOP’s exploding campaign against overseas voters.

The lawsuit targets a Colorado law and guidance from Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) that allow certain Americans living overseas to vote in Colorado based on a parent, legal guardian, spouse, domestic partner or civil union partner’s last residence in the state.

The RNC has now filed overseas voter lawsuits against Colorado, Nebraska, Virginia, Arizona, North Carolina and Michigan, arguing in each case that states are unlawfully allowing so-called “never-residents” to cast ballots.

Friday’s lawsuit comes just days after the RNC sued Nebraska over a similar law, underscoring how quickly Republicans are expanding their attacks on overseas voting ahead of the 2026 midterms.

The Colorado complaint argues that the state constitution limits voting to Colorado residents and that lawmakers and Griswold cannot extend voting access to citizens abroad based on family connections to the state.

“Residency is not inherited and cannot be established by proxy,” the complaint states. “An individual who has never personally made Colorado his or her home has not ‘resided in this state’ within the meaning of Article VII of the Colorado Constitution.”

The lawsuit was brought by the RNC, Douglas County Clerk and Recorder Sheri Davis and Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank, who is running for reelection in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District.

“Yet again, Democrats are trying to let people vote in a state where they’ve never lived,”  RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a press release. “Jena Griswold is ignoring Colorado’s Constitution and allowing non-residents to cast ballots in Colorado elections.”

Colorado’s law is tied to protections for military and overseas voters under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), a landmark federal law that helps Americans abroad vote in federal elections.

Republicans argue that UOCAVA does not require states to allow citizens who never lived there to vote. Voting rights advocates have warned that these lawsuits threaten long-standing protections for Americans overseas, including families of service members and U.S. citizens born abroad.

The Colorado lawsuit is more aggressive than the Nebraska case filed earlier this week. 

In addition to asking the court to block future registrations and ballots from never-resident voters, the RNC is asking the court to order Griswold to rescind her guidance, revise public voting materials and “cancel existing voter registrations for never resident voters.”

The complaint also makes the partisan stakes explicit, alleging that overseas voters who have never lived in Colorado are not likely to favor Republicans.

“Upon information and belief, the subset of UOCAVA voters who have never resided in Colorado are disproportionately non-Republican in their partisan composition relative to the Colorado electorate as a whole,” the complaint states.

That line cuts through the GOP’s election integrity framing. The RNC is not merely challenging an administrative rule but targeting a category of citizens abroad because Republicans believe those voters may hurt them politically.

The lawsuit follows recent GOP losses in Michigan, where courts rejected Republican efforts to restrict voting access for overseas families. But Republicans have continued to press similar cases across the country.