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By Hannah Parry
Associate News Editor
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Lawmakers have slammed Postmaster General David Steiner after he announced that a proposed new rule would mean the United States Postal Service (USPS) won't deliver mail ballots unless states share their voter lists with the Trump administration.
Testifying before a Senate committee on Wednesday, Steiner was asked if USPS would still mail out ballots to states that refused to hand over their absentee voter lists. "No," he responded. “We would tell the state that we need the manifest."
Democratic Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, told Steiner that the rule would “coerce” states into providing the administration with the sensitive voter information.
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"This is basically a back-door way for the federal government to get voting information that states control under the U.S. Constitution,” Peters said at the hearing. “You’re telling the states, ‘Give the federal government this information—trust the federal government, trust the Trump administration, we’ll take good care of these—and if you don’t do it, you can’t mail absentee ballots.’ “You are going to make a decision that people cannot vote by mail. That’s unacceptable.”
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Senator Margaret Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat, added that the rule was “blatantly illegal” and could “reduce participation in our democracy.”
She demanded that Steiner withdraw the proposal “immediately."
The new proposal from the USPS, which has traditionally been nonpartisan and neutral, arises from President Donald Trump’s March 31 executive order.
Trump's Executive Order Targeting Mail-In Voting: What To Know
The order, titled "Ensuring Citizen Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections," marked one of the administration's most sweeping efforts to reshape election administration and mail voting rules ahead of the 2026 midterms.
The order directed federal agencies to create lists of verified U.S. citizens eligible to vote by mail, instructed the USPS to send absentee ballots only to voters on approved lists, and called for ballot-tracking measures including unique barcodes on mail ballot envelopes.
It also threatened the loss of federal funding for states that fail to comply. Critics argue that the directive exceeds presidential authority because the Constitution gives states primary responsibility for administering elections and Congress the power to set national election standards. Multiple lawsuits challenging the order are moving through federal courts.
Federal Courts Already Scrutinizing Trump's Mail Voting Order
Several lawsuits filed by Democratic-led states and voting-rights groups challenge the legality of the executive order.
Last week, a federal judge in Massachusetts allowed key challenges to move forward, signaling that courts may weigh whether the administration exceeded its authority by directing federal agencies and the USPS to take a larger role in election administration.
One such suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, League of Women Voters, Association of Americans Resident Overseas, U.S. Vote Foundation, OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
In a statement, the plaintiffs called Trump's order "plainly unconstitutional, yet the U.S. Postal Service and the Department of Homeland Security are actively working to implement it. Their actions are causing chaos and interfering with the vital work that nonpartisan voting rights groups are doing to prepare for the coming elections. As we made clear in court, implementation of this order also threatens to disenfranchise untold numbers of American citizens, including elderly, disabled and student voters and voters of color who rely on mail-in balloting."
Marcia Johnson, chief of activation and justice at the League of Women Voters, added in a statement this month: "Mail voting helps millions of Americans participate in our democracy, including seniors, voters with disabilities, military families, students, caregivers, and working people. No president has the authority to unilaterally rewrite election rules or dictate how states administer their elections. The League will continue to fight for and defend every voter's freedom to make their voice heard.”
Trump's Long-Running Criticism of Mail-In Voting
Trump has repeatedly criticized mail voting and argued that it increases the risk of election fraud, despite election officials from both parties consistently saying that widespread voter fraud is rare. The president has continued to push for tighter restrictions on mail ballots since returning to office in January 2025, making the issue a central part of his election-integrity agenda.
"Mail-in voting is totally corrupt—get that through your head, it has to be," he said during a Michigan rally on February 17, 2024.
Just a few months later, during an interview with Dr. Phil, he doubled down, saying: "Anytime you have a mail-in ballot, there is going to be massive fraud."
The attacks on mail-in voting have continued, with Trump posting on Truth Social last week that he wanted to block Utah from "going to the All Mail In Ballot format," complaining that votes "always head LEFT, as soon as the move is made."
What Happens Next
Legal challenges are expected to determine whether the administration can implement key parts of its mail-voting initiative before future federal elections. Voting-rights groups, election officials and several states are seeking court orders to block enforcement, while administration officials maintain the measures are necessary to strengthen election security.
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