(Inside California Politics) \u2014 President Trump’s executive order instating an approved list of mail ballot voters will remain paused during California’s midterm elections, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Sunday.<\/p>\n
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Bonta and 23 other attorneys general filed a lawsuit in April 2026<\/a> challenging Trump’s executive order requiring a “state citizenship list” of voters who meet the legal requirements. The United States Postal Service would only send mail ballots to the list’s pre-approved individuals, according to the executive order’s text<\/a>.<\/p>\n The order impacts California in particular, being one of eight states to offer mail-in voting. In addition to the lawsuit from the attorneys general, it also drew harsh words from California Governor Gavin Newsom.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Trump is lighting democracy on fire with every harmful and hateful action he pursues,” the Governor said in Bonta’s news release<\/a> announcing the initial lawsuit.<\/p>\n There’s some disagreement between state officials and the White House about the order’s consequences on elections. Although the executive order’s text claims it honors “an unavoidable duty under Article II of the Constitution,” California Secretary of State Shirley Weber called the order a “threat” to “constitutional rights.”<\/p>\n Regardless of the lawsuit’s outcome, however, the executive order will remain paused during the legal proceedings.\u00a0<\/p>\n The plaintiffs were granted a motion<\/a> to block “key provisions” from Trump’s order in June, according to a news release. That block on the order remains active as of July 25, after the Court of Appeals denied the Department of Justice’s request to pause the plaintiffs’ block.<\/p>\n “This decision ensures key provisions of President Trump’s second elections-related Executive Order remain blocked for the upcoming midterm elections in the plaintiff states,” Bonta said in a news release<\/a> Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n The upcoming midterms bring a slew of key elections for voters, including the decision for California’s next governor between Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra and Republican candidate Steve Hilton.<\/p>\n Since the executive order’s election provisions remain paused, California residents who prefer to mail in their ballots will remain unaffected by the order during fall’s midterms.<\/p>\n “We will continue fighting to protect the right to vote and defend the rule of law,” Bonta said.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n