The lawsuit, filed April 3 in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, targets a March 31 executive order that would direct the Postal Service to transmit mail ballots only to voters on a new federal eligibility list, the coalition said. The order threatens states and election officials with criminal prosecution and loss of federal funding for noncompliance, according to the coalition.
The 23 attorneys general and one governor argue the order violates the Constitution by attempting to commandeer state election systems. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong called the order "an illegal attempt to disenfranchise millions of voters and fundamentally alter how Americans vote."
"The Constitution plainly forbids the President from commandeering elections to manipulate and micromanage how we vote," Tong said.
The coalition contends that implementing the order would force states to overhaul election administration procedures within weeks of primary elections and months before mail voting begins for the 2026 general election. The attorneys general argue such changes would create "confusion, chaos, and distrust in state election systems" while threatening to disenfranchise eligible voters.
The lawsuit maintains the Constitution grants states primary authority over election administration and provides no authority for the president to impose federal election procedures without congressional authorization. Tong added that voters "of all parties, in all states, and of every demographic utilize mail-in voting -- including the President himself."
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown led the coalition. The states seek a court order preventing the federal government from implementing or enforcing the executive order.