Governor Shapiro Joins Multistate Lawsuit Challenging Executive Order 14399 on Election Administration

Governor Shapiro Takes Legal Action to Protect Pennsylvanians’ Right to Vote after President Trump’s Unconstitutional Executive Order

On Tuesday, President Trump signed Executive Order 14399 in an unlawful attempt to interfere in states’ elections and restrict states’ rights to run elections, as guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.

As the Trump Administration continues to ignore Constitutionally protected freedoms, Governor Shapiro will continue to stand up for Pennsylvanians’ right to vote and protect the Commonwealth’s free, fair, safe, and secure elections.

April 03, 2026
Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Josh Shapiro filed a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s signing of Executive Order 14399, an unconstitutional attack on states’ rights and the right to vote for all Pennsylvanians.

The lawsuit, led by California, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Washington, and joined by Governor Shapiro and 17 other states, challenges the Trump Administration’s unlawful attempt to usurp states’ powers to administer elections. Executive Order 14399 seeks to establish a list of eligible voters through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and limit how elections may be conducted by using the United States Post Service (USPS) to illegally and significantly restrict mail-in voting.

“The U.S. Constitution makes clear that elections are to be run by the states, and here in Pennsylvania, we believe that the administration of elections should be nonpartisan,” said Governor Shapiro. “The good people of Pennsylvania will vote — whether in person or by mail — their votes will be counted, and the will of the people will be respected. Pennsylvanians choose their representatives, not Donald Trump.”
Pennsylvania’s Elections are Safe, Secure, Free, and Fair

Since taking office, the Shapiro Administration has promoted the security of the Commonwealth's elections through initiatives like the Administration’s Ready to Vote Toolkit and taken action to defend every Pennsylvanian’s right to vote.

• In January 2023, Governor Shapiro appointed Al Schmidt, a Republican, to serve as Secretary of the Commonwealth and oversee Pennsylvania’s elections, promoting the bipartisan administration of elections.
• In July 2025, Secretary Schmidt announced the Department of State (DOS) had redesigned provisional ballot envelopes for the 2025 general election, leading to an 11.3 percent decrease in the number of ballot rejections due to envelope errors compared to the 2024 cycle.
• In November 2023, Secretary Schmidt announced the DOS had redesigned mail ballot materials for the 2024 election to reduce voter confusion and assist county election workers with efficiently processing mail-in ballots, leading to a 57 percent decrease in rejected ballots in the 2024 general election compared to the primary election.
• In September 2023, the Governor implemented automatic voter registration (AVR) **** for eligible Commonwealth residents obtaining driver licenses and ID cards at Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) driver and photo license centers. By taking this step, Pennsylvania joined more than 20 states to promote election security, save taxpayer dollars, and streamline the voter registration process. As Attorney General, Governor Shapiro went to court 43 times to protect Pennsylvanians’ votes following the 2020 election, and won every case against President Trump and his enablers when they tried to overturn the will of the people and undermine the integrity of Pennsylvania’s elections in 2020.

Despite the Trump Administration’s attempt to strip states’ powers to administer elections and disenfranchise Pennsylvanians, Governor Shapiro will continue to stand up against the overreach of the federal government and protect the right to vote in Pennsylvania.

This lawsuit is led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, and joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

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