A coalition of eight Democratic governors has called on the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to withdraw a proposed rule aimed at creating a federal list of eligible voters, a measure stemming from a March executive order by former President Donald Trump. The governors, led by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, stated in a six-page letter that the proposed rule would undermine trust in elections, complicate voting processes, and disenfranchise eligible voters.
The executive order directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration to compile a "citizenship list" for each state, with the Postal Service tasked to limit mail-in ballots to individuals on these lists. The Postal Service filed its proposed rule to implement this order in late May.
However, a federal judge has since blocked the executive order, ruling it unconstitutional and stating that only states and Congress possess the authority to set election rules. The governors cited this judicial decision in their plea for the Postal Service to withdraw its proposed rule.
"Far from ensuring integrity in federal elections," the governors wrote, "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."
They argued that the proposed rule would grant the Postal Service "unilateral power to refuse to deliver their ballots if a state refuses to collaborate with President Trump’s unlawful directives."
The Postal Service has not yet responded to requests for comment. The proposed rule was filed in the Federal Register after a judge in a separate lawsuit against the executive order declined to block its implementation, noting that the administration had not yet taken steps to enact it. Democratic and civil rights groups involved in that lawsuit are appealing the ruling.
This initiative also faced opposition from postal workers. Jonathan Smith, president of the American Postal Workers union, previously stated that the union's role is to "move mail from one destination to the next," not to "verify voter eligibility."
This is the second election oversight executive order signed by Trump that has faced legal challenges. His first order, also blocked by the courts, mandated proof of citizenship for voter registration. Both orders focused on noncitizen voting, which studies have shown to be a rare occurrence. Trump also frequently raised concerns about mail-in voting fraud, despite personally utilizing the method. Data from a 2025 report by the Brookings Institution indicated that mail-in voting fraud is exceedingly rare, with approximately four cases per 10 million mail ballots.