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Democratic-Led States Sue to Block Trump Order Reshaping Mail Voting

Plaintiffs say new federal voter lists would tie ballot delivery to approved names, upending election planning.

Overview

  • A coalition of 22 states plus D.C., co-led by the attorneys general of California, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Washington, filed Friday in federal court in Boston with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as a plaintiff.
  • The suit argues President Trump exceeded his authority because the Constitution assigns states primary control over how federal elections are run.
  • Executive Order 14399 directs Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to compile state-by-state lists of eligible U.S. citizens and instructs the Postal Service to handle mail ballots only for people on approved lists.
  • State officials say the order would force rushed changes, risk ballot delivery denials, extend record-keeping to five years, and threaten funding cuts or even prosecutions for those deemed noncompliant.
  • Democratic Party groups and voting-rights advocates have filed parallel challenges, and courts have already blocked parts of a prior Trump elections order, creating a recent legal backdrop for this fight.