A coalition of Democratic governors urged the U.S. Postal Service to cancel a rule supporting an executive order from President Donald Trump. This order aimed to create a federal list of eligible voters and restrict who could receive mail ballots. Trump signed this executive order in March, instructing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration to compile a ‘citizenship list’ for states. It also sought to restrict mailed ballots only to individuals on these lists.

The Postal Service submitted a proposed rule to enact the order in late May. A federal judge later blocked the order, declaring it unconstitutional, as states and Congress—not the president—set election rules. Despite this, the Postal Service’s proposed implementation of the order remained in question.

On Thursday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, along with governors from California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin, sent a letter pressing the Postal Service to retract the proposed rule. The letter referenced the judge’s ruling and claimed the proposed rule would damage trust in federal elections, overcomplicate voting processes, and disenfranchise many eligible voters. They emphasized the disruptive potential of granting the Postal Service the authority to deny mail ballot delivery based on state compliance with the order.

Our role is not to verify voter eligibility but to deliver mail efficiently, said Jonathan Smith, president of the American Postal Workers Union, expressing postal workers’ opposition to the order.

The rule emerged on the Federal Register after a judge, addressing another lawsuit against Trump’s order, chose not to block it since the administration had not advanced its implementation. Democratic and civil rights groups challenging the order are appealing the decision. This executive order signifies Trump’s focus on preventing alleged noncitizen voting, a concern not supported by facts, as instances are rare.

Trump’s efforts to oversee elections include previous orders, such as one requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, also stalled by the courts. Despite claims, studies indicate mail voting fraud is negligible. The Brookings Institution reported in 2025 only about four fraud cases per 10 million mail ballots.