Press Release  AG Campbell Sues Trump Administration Over Unlawful Executive Order Attempting To Exert Federal Control Over Elections

BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today co-led a coalition of 24 states in suing President Trump in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, challenging his unlawful Executive Order that attempts to interfere with states’ constitutional authority to administer elections by restricting voter eligibility and mail voting to lists of voters pre-authorized by the federal government. 

“Though the President may wish he had unlimited power to restrict voting rights, the Constitution gives states – not the White House – the authority to oversee elections,” said AG Campbell. “Mail-in voting is secure, our election laws are strong, and there is absolutely no evidence of widespread voter fraud. I will not back down from ensuring that every eligible voter in Massachusetts can cast their ballot and have their vote counted.” 

“The President has no right to pre-approve the list of citizens who can vote in an American election, nor does he have the right to track their ballots through the mail, or to prevent certain ballots from being delivered. Voters choose candidates – candidates do not get to choose their voters,” said Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin.  

On March 31, President Trump signed an Executive Order attempting to establish a national list of eligible voters and directing the U.S. Postal Service, an independent federal agency, to transmit mail ballots only to those on the list. In the Order, the President threatens states and elections officials with criminal prosecution and the loss of federal funding if they do not comply with his demands. The attorneys general argue that the Order would require states to act contrary to their own voter roll procedures, vote-by-mail systems, and voter registration laws. 

In their lawsuit, the coalition explains that the U.S. Constitution gives states the primary authority to administer elections. In contrast, the Constitution does not allow the President to unilaterally impose changes to federal election procedures, particularly without an act of Congress permitting him to do so. 

The coalition also explains that the Trump Administration’s previous unreliable citizen verification practices demonstrate the high likelihood of eligible voters becoming disenfranchised and unable to participate in elections. Take, for example, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) database – identified by the President as a potential tool for creating a national voter eligibility list – has already proved to be deeply flawed. One review found that the SAVE database produced incorrect results for a staggering 35% of individuals in one Missouri county whose information was run through the database. Other reports show that some states that rely on SAVE to purge voter rolls have wrongfully cancelled citizens’ voter registration.  

State and federal law entitles all eligible voters to cast a ballot and have their vote counted in state and federal elections. The states filing this lawsuit permit registered voters to cast their ballot by mail if they meet their state’s requirements for doing so. Voters of all parties, in all states, and of every demographic utilize mail-in voting – including the President himself less than one month ago. 

Moreover, the administration of elections is highly complex and requires substantial planning and preparation. The attorneys general argue that the President’s Executive Order would require states to upend their existing election administration procedures for upcoming elections and conduct statewide voter education at a dangerously hasty pace – potentially within weeks of primary elections and mere months before the beginning of mail voting for the 2026 general election. The coalition argues that such drastic and rapid changes will undoubtedly create confusion, chaos, and distrust in state election systems, all while threatening to disenfranchise eligible voters. 

In Massachusetts, more than 61% of voters who participated in the 2024 State Primary used a mail-in ballot. When voting by mail in Massachusetts, each voter places their completed ballot in an affidavit envelope, which advises the voter of criminal penalties for illegal voting and must be signed under the penalty of perjury. In order to verify each mail-in voter’s identity, signatures on each mail-in ballot are compared to the signature on file with the local election office. All ballots, including mail-in ballots, are counted in public, and before any early or absentee ballot is counted, the name and address on the envelope is read aloud and marked off the voter list to ensure that a voter cannot cast multiple votes.  

The attorneys general allege that the President’s Executive Order violates the separation of powers and unlawfully interferes with states’ mail voting programs. The coalition asks the court to prevent the federal government from implementing or enforcing the Executive Order. 

This lawsuit is AG Campbell’s latest effort to protect access to voting and protect the integrity of elections. In April 2025, AG Campbell joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its illegal Executive Order attempting to impose extraordinarily burdensome proof of citizenship requirements for voter registration in a manner that would have disenfranchised countless eligible voters. Three courts have enjoined the key provisions in that Order from taking effect. In June 2025, AG Campbell filed an amicus brief urging the court to uphold a key provision of the Voting Rights Act that supports the fundamental right of all Americans to vote without fear of racial discrimination. 

Joining AG Campbell in filing this lawsuit, which she co-led with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and the Governor of Pennsylvania. 

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