Overview
- The executive order, signed Tuesday, directs DHS with the Social Security Administration to build state-by-state lists of confirmed U.S. citizens and tells USPS to send ballots only to those voters in barcode-tracked envelopes.
- A lawsuit filed Thursday by the DNC, the Democratic Governors Association, and Sen. Chuck Schumer argues the directive is unconstitutional and strips states of control over mail voting.
- Secretaries of state in Oregon, Arizona, and Maine said they will sue, calling the plan an illegal power grab that would upend long-running vote-by-mail systems.
- The order instructs the Justice Department to investigate officials who issue ballots to ineligible voters and claims the attorney general can withhold federal funds from states that refuse to comply.
- Election-law experts predict courts will quickly enjoin the order, citing state authority under the Elections Clause and practical flaws in the DHS SAVE database that can mislabel citizens, making near-term rollout before the 2026 midterms unlikely.