Wisconsin DOJ Joins Coalition in Opposing Postal Service’s Attempt to Undermine Voting Rights
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) joined a coalition in filing a formal comment letter today opposing the U.S. Postal Service’s attempt to aid the president’s efforts to seize control of elections and restrict mail-in voting through a proposed rule, and asking the Postal Service to withdraw the proposed rule.
“The U.S. Postal Service doesn’t have the authority to become a gatekeeper over who gets to vote by mail,” said AG Kaul. “The executive branch of the federal government should stop trying to unlawfully interfere with the administration of elections.”
On March 31, President Trump signed an executive order attempting to establish a national list of eligible voters and directing the Postal Service, an independent federal agency, to transmit mail ballots only to those on the list. In the order, the President threatened states and elections officials with criminal prosecution and the loss of federal funding if they do not comply with his demands.
A federal judge struck down that executive order last week in a lawsuit joined by Wisconsin DOJ; the order applies to 24 states. Nevertheless, the Postal Service has so far not rescinded its proposed rule to implement Trump’s illegal executive order. Under the proposed rule, the Postal Service would create a centralized list of voter information and would refuse to deliver ballots to any eligible voter who is not on that list, essentially giving the federal government control over elections conducted by mail.
In the comment letter, the coalition argues that this proposed rule violates the federal court’s order, which enjoins the Postal Service from finalizing the proposed rule, and also amounts to an unconstitutional power grab by the federal government. 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 argues that the proposed rule conflicts with the Postal Service’s governing statutes and other federal voting laws.
The proposed rule would enact these unconstitutional changes before the 2026 election. Implementing these changes would require states to upend their existing election administration procedures for upcoming elections, and they would be compelled to conduct statewide voter education mere months before mail voting begins for the 2026 general election.
State and federal law entitle all eligible voters to cast ballots and have their votes counted in state and federal elections. Voters of all parties, in all states, and of every background utilize mail-in voting—including the President himself. This week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Watson v. Republican National Committee reaffirmed states’ authority to administer their elections, like permitting voters to cast ballots by mail.
Joining Wisconsin DOJ in submitting the comment letter are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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