A coalition of 12 states, headed by Missouri and Alabama, is moving to join a major legal battle to protect a federal executive order focused on voter roll accuracy and mail-in ballot security.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that the states are seeking court permission to intervene in five separate lawsuits. Their goal is to defend President Trump’s Executive Order No. 14399, “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” which was issued on March 31, 2026.
The order provides federal assistance to states through two primary methods. First, it requires federal agencies to create a “State Citizenship List” for election officials. This list uses federal databases to confirm that individuals on the rolls are U.S. citizens over the age of 18 who reside in the state.
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Second, the order directs the U.S. Postal Service to create new security rules for mail-in and absentee ballots. These updates could include the use of tracking barcodes and new requirements to ensure ballots are not sent to unidentified individuals.
“California doesn’t want anyone checking their voter rolls — and that tells you everything you need to know,” Attorney General Marshall stated. “Alabama didn’t sue to stop election security; we’re here to defend it. This coalition will not let activist lawsuits strip states of the tools they need to ensure that only lawful votes are counted.”
The legal push comes after several progressive states and activist groups filed lawsuits to block the order, claiming it is unlawful. The coalition of attorneys general argues that the order is a vital resource for states to verify their registration lists and protect the integrity of the voting process.
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The states involved in the Missouri-led filing include Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Texas. The cases are currently being heard in federal courts in Washington, D.C., and Massachusetts.
According to the legal filings, the states believe these federal resources are necessary because local governments cannot independently regulate the postal service or access certain high-level federal citizenship records required for thorough verification.
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