NAACP, Voting Rights Groups Will Continue Fighting Trump Ballot Executive Order
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2026
Contact: Chyna Fields, cfields@naacpnet.org
WASHINGTON – Four of the nation's leading voting rights groups - NAACP, Common Cause, Lawyers Committee, and Black Voters Matter - will continue fighting President Trump's executive order restricting mail ballots after a recent ruling allowing it to stand. A Trump-appointed circuit judge declined to halt the executive order on the grounds that the administration has not yet implemented it. Plaintiffs argue that waiting for implementation will trigger widespread chaos and confusion for voters in the critical months leading up to the midterm elections.
"This case is only the beginning of what will be a long fight ahead. The NAACP is not deterred by this ruling — we will continue to defend the right to vote and use every tool at our disposal. This ruling serves as a reminder for everyone to make a plan to vote. Make sure you are registered, and ask your friends and family to do the same. We will need to vote in historic numbers to confront the Trump Administration's attempts to rig the system against us," said Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO.
"Refusing to block this executive order until more harm is done needlessly jeopardizes the freedom to vote for millions of Americans," said Omar H. Noureldin, senior vice president of policy and litigation at Common Cause. "Waiting to act is like trying to put up a smoke detector while the house is already on fire. We'll use every legal avenue at our disposal to protect voters now, not wait until the damage is permanent."
"Widespread chaos and confusion is the goal of this executive order. This administration desperately wants to prevent voters from casting a ballot this November, and the courts' failure to block this EO is another example of putting politics over people," said Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter. "We will continue to utilize all legal avenues and relational organizing efforts to reduce the harm caused to our communities."
Robert Weiner, a plaintiff's attorney and director of the Voting Rights Project at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said, "This executive order will cause a catastrophic train wreck in our elections. The judge held that not enough has happened yet to justify a preliminary injunction. That approach is risky, but we will be watching the government's actions closely, and we will be ready to act if and when it moves further on implementing this anti-democratic scheme."
The lawsuit filed by these voting rights groups contends states and Congress, not presidents, set rules for elections, and this executive order tying federal funding to election procedures is illegal.
In March 2025, President Donald Trump released an election-related executive order that Common Cause opposed. At least five different courts have struck down that executive order.
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About NAACP
The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America. Our legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists. From classrooms and courtrooms to city halls and Congress, our network of members across the country works to secure the social and political power that will end race-based discrimination. That work is rooted in racial equity, civic engagement, and supportive policies and institutions for all marginalized people. We are committed to a world without racism where Black people enjoy equitable opportunities in thriving communities.
NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF – was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but now operates as a completely separate entity.