President Trump signed an government order Tuesday purporting to put new federal controls on voting by mail in states corresponding to California, repeating his long-held however unsubstantiated declare that mail-in ballots are a supply of widespread fraud in U.S. elections.
California leaders instantly responded with guarantees to battle the order in court docket. They stated mail ballots are a secure and safe technique for voting relied on by hundreds of thousands of Californians, that Trump’s order infringes on the state’s constitutional proper to manage elections because it sees match, and that it quantities to an “unlawful energy seize” forward of midterm elections wherein his social gathering is poised to endure substantial losses.
The order directs the USA Postal Service to take management of mail balloting by designing new envelopes with particular bar codes that can enable the federal authorities to make sure that such ballots exit solely to eligible voters, and that solely eligible voters return such ballots.
It requires states to undergo the USPS course of in the event that they plan to make use of the federal mail system for sending or receiving ballots, and to undergo the USPS lists of eligible voters upfront of such ballots passing by way of the mail system.
It additionally requires the Division of Homeland Safety, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Providers, and the Social Safety Administration to “compile and transmit to the chief election official of every State a listing of people confirmed to be United States residents who will probably be above the age of 18 on the time of an upcoming Federal election and who keep a residence within the topic State.”
These lists will probably be drawn from federal citizenship and naturalization data, Social Safety data and “different related Federal databases,” and the USPS will probably be barred from transmitting ballots that don’t match these lists, the order says.
“Safe poll envelope identifiers present a dependable, auditable mechanism to implement Federal regulation with out unduly burdening or infringing on the rights of eligible voters,” the order reads. “Distinctive poll envelope identifiers, corresponding to bar codes, allow affirmation that solely residents obtain and solid ballots, decreasing the chance of fraud and defending the integrity of Federal elections.”
Trump — who just lately voted by mail himself in Florida — framed the order as an answer to “huge dishonest” in U.S. elections at the moment, which he didn’t again up with proof.
“The dishonest on mail-in voting is famous. It’s horrible what’s occurring,” Trump stated.
“He’s going to be sure that mail-in ballots are secure, safe and correct,” stated Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who appeared alongside Trump and whose company the order requires to be concerned within the coordination of the brand new voting measures.
California officers blasted the president for attacking and undermining election integrity, relatively than shoring it up, and stated they might battle the order from taking impact.
“President Trump’s Govt Order marks a harmful and unprecedented escalation in his ongoing assaults on our elections. The ability to control elections belongs to the States and to Congress — he has no function to play. We blocked his earlier Govt Order on elections in court docket, and we’re ready to cease him once more,” stated California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta.
“The fact is that President Trump and Congressional Republicans see the writing on the wall — that they’re more likely to lose within the upcoming midterms — and they’re pushing to make it more durable for folks to vote,” Bonta added. “We received’t stand idly by.”
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), in a press release to The Instances, stated Trump’s actions had been “a transparent and current menace to our democracy,” that he’ll “use each instrument I can to cease him,” and that he expects “rapid authorized challenges with a view to defend our free and honest elections.”
“As an alternative of specializing in reducing the price of power, groceries, and well being care, Donald Trump is desperately trying to take over and rig our elections and keep away from accountability in November. This government order is a blatant, unconstitutional abuse of energy,” stated Padilla, the rating Democrat on the Senate Committee on Guidelines and Administration.
“The President and the Division of Homeland Safety don’t have any authority to commandeer federal elections or direct the unbiased Postal Service to undermine mail and absentee voting that just about 50 million People relied on in 2024,” he stated. “A decade of lies about election fraud doesn’t change the Structure.”
“In the midst of an unauthorized conflict overseas and an escalating authoritarian crackdown by ICE right here at residence, Trump is trying one other unlawful energy seize,” Padilla stated.
“We’re difficult it,” Gov. Gavin Newsom posted to X, above a video of Trump asserting the order. “See you in court docket.”
A overwhelming majority of Californians vote by mail. Within the state’s 2025 particular election on Proposition 50, the state’s mid-decade redistricting measure, practically 89% of votes had been solid by mail, in accordance with California Secretary of State Shirley Weber’s workplace — or practically 10.3 million out of about 11.6 million votes solid.
Trump has lengthy criticized mail-in ballots — with out proof — as a supply of fraud and a consider his dropping the 2020 election to President Biden, which he nonetheless contends was illegitimate.
Election specialists, voting rights advocates, native elections officers and different California leaders have all dismissed these claims as unfounded and inaccurate. They’ve additionally been getting ready for Trump to behave to curtail such voting.
Padilla beforehand warned colleagues that he would drive a vote on any effort by Trump to declare a nationwide emergency with a view to seize management of this 12 months’s midterm elections from the states, forcing them to both co-sign on the ability seize or resist it.
Critics of mail ballots have additionally been actively working to finish or curtail the apply. Simply final week, the U.S. Supreme Court docket heard arguments in a case wherein the Republican Occasion challenged a Mississippi regulation that enables ballots to be accepted and counted in the event that they arrive as much as 5 days after election day.
Throughout these arguments, the court docket’s six conservatives sounded able to rule that federal regulation requires ballots to be acquired by election day with a view to be counted as authorized.
Weber, California’s prime elections official, has warned that assaults on mail-in voting threat undermining a system the state has spent years constructing round common mail voting.
Trump’s government order is the most recent entrance in a years-long marketing campaign he has led attacking the integrity of U.S. elections — which has contributed to a steep decline in voter belief in U.S. elections.
On Tuesday, Trump stated his order was drafted by “nice authorized minds,” and can survive any authorized challenges except “rogue” judges rule in opposition to it inappropriately. “We need to have trustworthy voting in our nation,” he stated.
Rick Hasen, an election regulation professional and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Venture at UCLA Legislation, argued in any other case in a publish Tuesday, noting that an earlier government order purporting to put new federal controls on elections was blocked in court docket, and “this one is more likely to fare no higher.”
“To place this in plain phrases: the order would use the USPS, which isn’t below the direct management of the President, to intrude with a state’s lawful transmission of ballots. If the state doesn’t adjust to these guidelines, federal regulation would purport to intrude with a state’s conduct of its personal elections,” Hasen wrote. “The President doesn’t have the authority to do that.”
