A dozen red states want to help defend Trump’s anti-mail voting executive order

Key Points:

• Twelve Republican attorneys general from states including Missouri, Alabama, and Texas have sought to join the defense of President Trump's executive order on mail-in voting, which is being challenged as unconstitutional by Democratic groups.
• The executive order directs the Department of Homeland Security to collaborate with the Social Security Administration to create verified voter lists, instructs USPS to send absentee ballots only to those on approved lists, and prioritizes prosecution of ballots sent to others.
• Democratic plaintiffs argue the order restricts mail voting access and improperly involves federal agencies in election administration, while the Republican attorneys general contend it enhances state authority and provides valuable resources to states.
• The attorneys general focus their defense on provisions creating federal voting lists and limiting USPS ballot distribution, asserting their interests differ from the federal government's broader defense of the order.
• It remains uncertain if the court will allow these states to intervene, though such motions are typically permitted when parties have a distinct stake and perspective in the lawsuit.