Gov. Josh Shapiro and Democratic attorneys general from 21 states have sued in an attempt to block President Donald Trump’s latest effort to bolster “election integrity,” ahead of the 2026 midterms.
The legal complaint, filed on Friday, asserts that state governments have authority over the voting process, with the only federal guidelines coming from acts of Congress. Trump’s March 31 executive order, which aims to regulate mail-in ballots through the U.S. Postal Service, is “as unprecedented as it is unconstitutional,” the 49-page suit states.
“The good people of Pennsylvania will vote – whether in person or by mail – their votes will be counted, and the will of the people will be respected,” Shapiro said in a statement. “Pennsylvanians choose their representatives, not Donald Trump.”
Under the White House directive, the USPS is tasked with developing state-specific lists of those eligible to vote by mail or absentee ballot. State officials would be able to suggest modifications prior to Election Day. The order mandates that the postal service should not transmit any ballot envelope sent by someone not on the list.
Additionally, Trump instructed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to draw up a similar list of eligible voters, using federal citizenship databases. The names are to be provided to state election officials.
States that do not comply with the directive could lose out on federal funding, and the order also directs the U.S. Attorney General to prioritize criminal prosecutions of local officials who distribute ballots to people not eligible to vote.
Attorneys general from California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Washington took the lead in filing the lawsuit, which was submitted in Boston and is one of several legal challenges to the order.
Shapiro was the only governor who signed onto the case. Typically, attorneys general have the ability to sue on behalf of the state; Pennsylvania’s AG, Republican Dave Sunday, told the Inquirer last year that he would not be participating in political lawsuits involving the Trump administration.
Almost exactly a year ago, Trump signed an executive order requiring proof of citizenship to vote. Courts have blocked major portions of that directive from going into effect.
The president and his allies have been advocating for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would also mandate citizenship documents for voter registration.
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