A group of Democratic governors asked the U.S. Postal Service on Thursday to withdraw its proposed rule seeking to implement an executive order from President Donald Trump to create a federal list of eligible voters and potentially limit who can receive a ballot in the mail.
The president signed the order in March. It directs U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration to create a “citizenship list” for each state and the Postal Service to limit mailed ballots to those on the lists.
The Postal Service filed a proposed rule to implement the order in late May. Since then, a federal judge has blocked Trump's executive order and barred agencies from implementing it, saying it was unconstitutional because only states and Congress — not the president — have the power to set election rules.
The letter sent Thursday was an effort organized by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and included eight other Democratic governors — from California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin. It cited the judge's ruling and asked that the Postal Service withdraw the rule it had proposed to fulfill Trump's order.
“Far from ensuring integrity in federal elections," they wrote in the six-page letter, “the Proposed Rule would undermine trust in elections, needlessly complicate voting processes, arbitrarily disenfranchise millions of eligible voters, and undermine states’ constitutional role in ensuring free and fair elections.”
The proposed rule would grant, they argued, “unilateral power to refuse to deliver their ballots if a state refuses to collaborate with President Trump’s unlawful directives.”
The Postal Service did not immediately respond to calls and emails seeking comment. It had filed the proposed rule in the Federal Register after a judge considering a separate lawsuit against Trump's executive order declined to block it because the administration — at that point — had not taken steps to implement it. The Democratic and civil rights groups that filed that lawsuit have appealed the ruling.
The executive order also met pushback from postal workers, with the president of the American Postal Workers union, Jonathan Smith, previously saying that their job was not to “verify voter eligibility” but to “move mail from one destination to the next."
It was the second executive order seeking oversight of elections that Trump has signed since returning to office. The centerpiece of his first order, which also has been blocked by the courts, sought to require people to show documented proof of citizenship to register to vote.
Both orders revolve around Trump's targeting of voting by noncitizens, which studies and investigations by state and local authorities have shown to be rare. Trump also has fixated on voting by mail as a source of fraud, even though he also uses the method.
There is no indication of any widespread problems with mail voting, which has gained in popularity among Democrats and Republicans alike. A report by the Brookings Institution published in 2025 found that the number of cases of mail voting fraud was minuscule — about four cases per 10 million mail ballots.
A Utah voter places a ballot in a drop box outside the Salt Lake County Government Center in Salt Lake City, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
TORONTO (AP) — Goncalo Ramos headed in the stoppage-time winner as Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in a wild finish that also included a Croatian goal disallowed for offside just before the final whistle in a World Cup round of 32 match on Thursday night.
The game featured a matchup 40-somethings Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, in his sixth World Cup, and Croatia's Luka Modrić, making his fifth bid for a tournament title.
Ronaldo initially tied things up in the 68th minute on a penalty kick and give the megastar his first knockout stage goal at the World Cup before being subbed out in the 81st minute. But, it was Ramos who gave Portugal the victory and a berth in the round of 16.
Portugal moves on to face Spain on Monday.
“First half we dominated the game. In second half after the goal we get a little bit panic, but this is football,” Ronaldo said. “After the penalty, I think it was a little bit better for us. We created a few chances and I think at the end of the day we deserved to win the match.”
The game ended in controversy as Croatia thought it had tied things up 2-2 in the very last moments, but Mario Pasalic was called offside as VAR ruled no goal. Croatia fans threw bottles on the field and whistled in protest.
Croatia opened the scoring in the 53rd minute when Ivan Perisic scored off a cross from Josip Sanisic.
Ronaldo, booed loudly by Croatia fans every time he touched the ball, got his chance from the spot after Nikola Vlasic was called for a holding foul inside the box. Portugal’s megastar hitched his step and converted down the middle as the goalkeeper went to his right.
Modrić led Croatia to second- and third-place finishes in 2018 and 2022, and the match carried the weight of the two aging stars each trying to realize the dream of winning the World Cup. Modrić is 40, while Ronaldo is 41.
The men, who were teammates at Real Madrid, shared a few smiles and an embrace ahead of the coin toss before the match. The two met on the pitch after the match, and hugged and exchanged a few words.
“I played with Luca so many years,” Ronaldo said. "We’re nearly the same age. I think he’s a legend of football. He’s still a legend of football.”
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Lexie Linderman is a student in John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.
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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
Portugal's Renato Veiga gestures during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match against Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) scores on a penalty kick past Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic (1) during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Croatia's Luka Modric (10) reacts to a call as Portugal's Bernardo Silva (10) looks on during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) celebrates after scoring their opening goal during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Portugal's Ruben Dias (3) celebrates a win during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) celebrates after scoring their opening goal during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
