Democratic bill aims to counter Trump order, protect mail voting

By Natalie Hausmann

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 10: U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) exits the Senate Chambers during a vote at the U.S. Capitol on July 10, 2025, in Washington, DC. The U.S. Senate has begun working to complete the business week ahead of returning home for a weekend recess. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Democrats are pushing back against President Donald Trump’s latest anti-voting executive order with a new bill that aims to safeguard mail voting.

Spearheaded by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), the Absentee and Mail Voter Protection Act (Absentee MVP Act) would block provisions in the order that restrict absentee ballots, call for a national voter registration database and require federal agencies to share voter data.

Thirty-nine senators — all Democrats besides Sen. Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with Democrats — co-sponsored the bill.

“Our Constitution gives States and Congress the power to conduct elections, and vote-by-mail is a legal and proven part of our nation’s electoral process,” Senator Peters (D-Mich.), one of the co-sponsors, said in a press release Wednesday.

Though the bill stands virtually no chance of passing in the GOP-controlled Congress, it underscores Democrats’ staunch opposition to Trump’s order and suggests the party believes the issue can offer political benefits.

The Absentee MVP Act would prevent the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Social Security Administration and the Department of Justice (DOJ) from taking any actions to implement Trump’s order.

The bill would also defund the DOJ’s ongoing efforts to force states to hand over their unredacted voter rolls and ban the department from sharing state voter lists with DHS — a cross-agency collaboration that has raised concerns the voter data could be used for immigration enforcement.

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Common Cause and the National Association of Letter Carriers joined Padilla’s press release to voice their support for the bill.

Democrats have previously sued to block the executive order, while a dozen Republican state attorneys general filed suit Tuesday in support of the order.

Additionally, 37 senators signed a letter Monday calling on USPS to “follow the law” and disregard Trump’s order.

*Democratic plaintiffs in this case are represented by the Elias Law Group (ELG). ELG Chair Marc Elias is the founder of Democracy Docket.