President Trump signs order asserting federal control over mail-in voting
President Donald Trump has moved to assert federal control over mail-in voting with an executive order.
California is challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at imposing federal control over voter rolls and mail-in voting. California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the executive order a “desperate attempt” by the president to change the outcome of the 2026 midterm elections.
California, along with 22 attorneys general and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, filed a lawsuit on Friday, April 3, challenging Bonta’s recent order, which he called “unconstitutional.” The state joins other lawsuits aimed at blocking President Trump’s order, which opponents warn could affect voters’ ability to vote.
“He can see the blue wave coming,” Bonta said. “He knows he will lose badly, so his only recourse is to try to influence the election. If people can vote fairly, honestly and safely, if everyone who is eligible to vote is given the opportunity to participate, to vote, the way they want, then he will be crushed.”
President Trump’s order, signed on March 31, requires the Department of Homeland Security to work with the Social Security Administration to compile a list of U.S. citizens of voting age who are residents of each state and communicate it to voting officials in each state at least 60 days before the election.
The order directed the U.S. Postal Service to oversee mail-in voting, establish “uniform standards” for ballots, and develop rules to prevent unauthorized people from submitting ballots. The Postal Service would provide each state with a list of voters who are “registered” with the Postal Service.
The order says the Trump administration could withhold federal funds from “noncompliant states and localities.” Bonta said the order also “threatens criminal investigations against election officials.” The attorney general said all state and local election officials “should be able to administer elections without fear of federal overreach or threat of prosecution.”
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to USA TODAY Network’s request for comment on the lawsuit.
On March 31, Bonta announced that he would challenge the order in court, stating that “the power to regulate elections rests with the states and Congress.”
“The executive order violates the separation of powers. The president has no authority over when, where, or how each state holds elections,” Bonta said on April 3.
The president’s order comes as California sees another voting-related fight unfold. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is running for governor, and his hundreds of thousands of ballots seized over alleged discrepancies in the number of votes cast in last year’s Proposition 50 special election.
All of this comes weeks before Californians vote in the June 2nd primary election and then the November 3rd general election.
Governor Gavin Newsom responded to President Trump’s order earlier this week, saying on the X Show that “Donald Trump is attempting to rig the midterm elections by suppressing the vote through unconstitutional means.” “California will fight back to protect election integrity and people’s right to vote.”
USA TODAY Network reporters Zac Anderson and Noe Padilla contributed to this article.
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. please contact her pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
