For Immediate Release:
April 23, 2026
For press inquiries only, contact:
Amanda Priest (334) 322-5694
William Califf (334) 604-3230
(Montgomery, Ala.) – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and 11 other state attorneys general sought court permission to intervene in five pending lawsuits to defend President Trump’s executive order requiring federal agencies to provide resources to states to help secure elections and ensure that voting rolls are accurate.
On March 31, 2026, President Trump issued Executive Order No. 14399, entitled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” to assist the states in guarding their elections. The order enhances election security through two main initiatives.
First, the order requires federal agencies to compile a “State Citizenship List” for state election officials, listing potential voters who are confirmed U.S. citizens, over 18, and residents of the state.
Second, the order instructs the U.S. Postal Service to develop rules for mail-in and absentee ballots to improve security and reliability. Under the order, the Postal Service could implement tracking barcodes for “Official Election Mail,” allow states to provide lists of eligible absentee voters for ballot delivery, and prohibit the transmission of ballots from unidentified individuals.
Left-leaning activists and progressive states led by California immediately challenged the order as unlawful. If successful, the lawsuits would derail an opportunity for states like Alabama to work with the federal government to ensure that voter rolls are accurate, secure, and up to date, and that only lawfully registered voters may vote in elections.
“California doesn’t want anyone checking their voter rolls — and that tells you everything you need to know. 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,” Attorney General Marshall said.
Attorney General Marshall joined a coalition led by the attorney general of Missouri to intervene in two lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and three lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The coalition argues that access to the federal resources is important to states to enable them to guard the integrity of American elections.
In addition to Alabama, attorneys general from the following states joined the Missouri-led filing: Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Texas.
The full Motion to Intervene can be read here.
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