In a significant move regarding voting rights and election integrity, a coalition of Democratic governors has urged the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to retract its proposed rule that seeks to implement an executive order from former President Donald Trump. This order aims to establish a federal list of eligible voters and could potentially restrict mail ballot access.
The executive order, signed in March 2023, directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services alongside the Social Security Administration to compile a “citizenship list” for each state. The USPS was tasked with limiting the distribution of mail-in ballots based on these lists. However, following a federal judge’s ruling that deemed Trump’s executive order unconstitutional, the implementation of this directive has been halted.
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The governors’ letter, coordinated by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and endorsed by governors from California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin, referenced the judicial ruling and expressed concern about the proposed rule. They argued that the rule would not enhance election integrity; rather, it would complicate the voting process and disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.
“Far from ensuring integrity in federal elections,” the governors stated in their six-page letter, “the Proposed Rule would undermine trust in elections, needlessly complicate voting processes, arbitrarily disenfranchise millions of eligible voters, and undermine states’ constitutional role in ensuring free and fair elections.”
The proposed rule would grant the USPS unilateral power to refuse ballot delivery if a state does not comply with the president’s directives, which the governors described as unlawful. This concern highlights the tension between federal directives and state rights in the administration of elections.
As of now, the USPS has not responded to requests for comment on the matter. The proposed rule was filed in the Federal Register following a separate lawsuit against Trump’s executive order, which the courts have blocked. Civil rights groups and Democratic officials are actively pursuing appeals in this ongoing legal battle.
The executive order has also faced opposition from postal workers, including Jonathan Smith, president of the American Postal Workers Union, who emphasized that their role is to facilitate mail delivery, not to verify voter eligibility.
This proposed action represents the second executive order targeting election oversight by Trump since he returned to office. The first order sought to require documented proof of citizenship for voter registration, which has similarly faced judicial challenges.
Trump’s executive orders stem from his long-standing claims about voter fraud, particularly concerning noncitizen voting. However, extensive research, including a 2025 report by the Brookings Institution, indicates that instances of mail voting fraud are exceedingly rare, with only about four cases per 10 million mail ballots cast.
As the discussions continue, the implications of these actions on future elections and voter access remain a critical topic in American political discourse.
