Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway
JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is leading a coalition of 12 states seeking to intervene in federal court to defend a presidential executive order aimed at strengthening election integrity.
The motion to intervene, filed in both the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, supports Executive Order No. 14399, issued March 31, by President Donald Trump.
The order, titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” outlines measures intended to assist states in maintaining accurate voter registration lists and improving the security of absentee and mail-in voting.
According to the filing, Missouri and the other participating states are seeking access to federal resources outlined in the executive order, including a proposed “State Citizenship List.”
This list would be compiled by federal agencies and made available to state election officials, identifying individuals who are confirmed U.S. citizens, over the age of 18 and residents of the respective state.
The states argue that access to this information would help ensure voter-registration records remain accurate, secure and current.
“We thank President Trump for issuing a vital, protective executive order that equips states with the tools we need to verify voter eligibility, secure absentee voting and restore public confidence in our elections,” Hanaway said in a statement. “Missouri stands ready to work with our federal partners to implement these measures swiftly and lawfully.”
The executive order also directs the U.S. Postal Service to develop new procedures related to mail-in and absentee ballots.
These measures include implementing tracking barcodes for “Official Election Mail,” allowing states to submit lists of eligible absentee voters, and prohibiting the transmission of ballots from unidentified individuals.
The filing states that these provisions are intended to improve the reliability and security of absentee voting processes.
The motion comes in response to lawsuits filed by what the document describes as left-leaning activists and progressive states, which challenge the executive order because it represents a federal intrusion into state authority over elections.
The Missouri-led coalition disputes those claims, arguing that the order provides an opportunity for collaboration between state and federal governments to strengthen election systems.
Hanaway criticized the legal challenges, describing them as attempts to obstruct measures designed to improve voter-roll accuracy and election safeguards.
“The lawsuits filed by left‑wing states and activists against President Trump’s common-sense election integrity measures are reckless attempts to shield inaccurate voter rolls and weaken safeguards,” Hanaway said. “These obstructionist efforts do not protect voters; they undermine confidence and invite irregularities.
Hanaway said Missouri will not allow partisan gamesmanship to diminish, dilute or harm the integrity of our elections.
“We will defend every lawful step that promotes accurate rolls, secure absentee processes and transparent administration,” Hanaway said.
She stated that Missouri intends to defend actions that promote secure absentee processes, transparent election administration and accurate voter lists.
The coalition includes attorneys general from Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas.
Together, the states argue in their motion that they have a direct interest in the outcome of the litigation, particularly regarding their ability to access and utilize the resources outlined in the executive order.
