Attorney General Ford, Secretary of State Aguilar Announce Lawsuit Against the Trump Administration Over Unlawful Executive Order to Exert Federal Control Over Elections

Carson City, NV - Today, Attorney General Aaron D. Ford, alongside Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar, announced that he is leading a coalition of 23 attorneys general and one governor in suing President Trump in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in a challenge to his unlawful and unconstitutional executive order interfering in the states' election processes. The executive order 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. Joining Attorney General Ford in leading this lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Massachusetts and Washington.
"President Trump continues to trample the constitutional rights of Nevadans," said Attorney General Ford. "This order is flat-out illegal - it's a power grab that puts him above the law, above the will of the people and above the democratic voting process. Nevada's elections are free, fair and safe; I will not allow illegal intrusions upon the sovereignty of the Silver State."
"No single person gets to unilaterally decide how states should run their elections. As Nevada's Chief Elections Officers, it's my duty to call balls and strikes - and the President is trying to change the rules in the middle of the game. Nevada's voters don't deserve the chaos and confusion this executive order seeks to impose - they deserve leadership," said Secretary Aguilar. "I will stand up against anyone who tries to undermine our elections and silence the voices of Nevada's eligible voters. I'm grateful to the Attorney General and his team for fighting back against this illegal action."

Attorney General Ford and Secretary Aguilar held a press conference announcing the lawsuit on April 3. The livestream from the press conference can be viewed here.
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.
State and federal law entitle all eligible voters to cast ballots and have their votes counted in state and federal elections. The states filing this lawsuit permit registered voters to cast their ballots 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 President Trump himself.
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.
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 quick 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.

Nevada's mail ballot and voter list maintenance processes are secure. There are verifications and security in every step of Nevada's election processes.
The State of Nevada and local election officials work closely with the United States Postal Service throughout every election to ensure the security and transparency of mail ballots. Each ballot has a unique barcode associated with a specific voter, ensuring the security of the ballot and transparency for ballot tracking. The state also works with the USPS to ensure ballot designs are appropriate and consistent across counties.
In addition, county election officials work extremely hard to maintain Nevada's voter list and follow federal and state law to protect voters and ensure eligible voters, and only eligible voters, can access the ballot box.
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.
Joining Attorney General Ford in leading this lawsuit are Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown. The lead states are joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the 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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