CHICAGO — Today, Governor JB Pritzker led a coalition of nine state governors in urging the U.S. Postmaster General to unequivocally reject Trump’s proposed amendment to the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service (USPS), which would put an end to mail-in and absentee voting methods. In a joint comment issued by the governors of California, Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin, Gov. Pritzker denounced this most recent unconstitutional attempt to disenfranchise voters and overstep state authority over elections.
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“The U.S. Postal Service serves millions of Americans in every corner of the country, delivering mail and packages to keep people connected and commerce flowing,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The Postal Service is not an elections administrator. President Trump is once again orchestrating an illegal scheme to control the postal service and deny people their right to vote. We must uphold the Constitution and protect the existing election authorities at every level of government that have always facilitated free and fair elections.”
“A healthy democracy depends on elections that are secure and accessible, and our Constitution gave states—not Washington—primary authority over elections for a reason,” said Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut. “This proposed rule isn’t designed to make our elections safer. Instead, it would hand control to the White House, make it harder for eligible voters to participate, and erode public trust in the process. The Postal Service was built to deliver mail, not gatekeep the ballot box, and Connecticut won’t stand for it.”
“Weaponizing the U.S. Postal System to interfere with American elections is a new low,” said Governor Kathy Hochul of New York. “Free and fair elections are the very foundation of our democracy. I urge the U.S. Postmaster General to take a stand for the American people, uphold the Constitution and reject Trump’s latest effort to manipulate elections across the country.”
Trump’s proposed rule, issued through his elections executive order defeated in a federal court, would create a national voter list determined by the federal government. Though this order was brought down in the courts, the USPS is considering implementing the proposed amendment to their mailing standards.
A violation of the USPS’ mandates, federal law, and the U.S. Constitution, the proposed rule would transform the Postal Service – a trusted institution and pillar of our democracy – into an election administrating body. It would disenfranchise voters in states with democratic and republican leadership, ultimately removing a constitutional power of the states and giving it to Trump and his White House. There has been strong opposition from those representing rural states, where access to polling places is severely limited and many rely on mail-in voting.
The joint comment outlines the following principles:
- States safeguard the integrity and efficiency of elections, for the benefit of our democracy: The Elections Clause of the Constitution expressly gives states the authority to oversee federal elections – a hugely important logistical challenge that states are uniquely prepared to address at a local level. Since the founding of our nation, the states have developed deeply held, effective electoral systems, each specific to the state’s needs.
- The proposed rule would disenfranchise voters and usurp state authority: Trump’s proposed absentee voter master list is an unlawful and insecure process of maintaining voter rolls that is subject to the president’s arbitrary and often punitive whims, as well as errors due to outdated or incorrect data. If this rule is implemented, the White House will determine which American citizens get to vote, as well as who will be denied, risking the disenfranchisement of millions of voters.
- The proposed rule must be withdrawn immediately – many states cannot wait: The implementation of this rule, shortly before a general election, would interrupt months of planning, systems testing, materials preparation, poll worker training, and voter registration and education. Requiring the USPS to do so would strain local and state resources, cast the upcoming elections into uncertainty, and effectively diminish trust in our democratic process.
The U.S. Postal Service follows a universal service obligation to every American citizen, a cornerstone of free and fair elections which Trump is once again attempting to uproot from the foundations of our democracy. This coalition of governors is calling upon the USPS to maintain their own mandates, follow the Constitution, and defend our democracy. Because every American has the right to participate in the democratic process by voting, and no president has the authority to hinder or deny that privilege.
