A coalition of state attorneys general tout latest mail-in voting win

Nevada Public Radio | By Yvette Fernandez

Published September 18, 2026 at 10:19 AM MDT

In this June 9, 2020, file photo, a sign indicates where mail ballots may be dropped off as people wait in line at one of a few in-person voting places during a nearly all-mail primary election in Las Vegas. Nevada's new vote-by-mail law includes provisions allowing anyone to collect and return ballots on a voter's behalf, a practice critics deride as ballot harvesting and that President Donald Trump and Republicans are targeting amid a broader fight over voting amid the pandemic.

The coalition of attorneys general in several states, including Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, is calling this week's U.S. Supreme Court verdict rejecting President Donald Trump's efforts to restrict mail-in ballots a win for voters.

The attorneys general have also prevailed in cases about birthright citizenship and certain tariffs.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford says the coalition's "win rate" is about 85%.

The verdict from the nation's highest court, he says, is a pushback on the president's efforts to impose federal regulations on state elections.

"There is a common misnomer out there that the lawsuits that we win- that he will do it anyway," Ford said in a news conference about perceptions that Trump ignores court rulings. "That's not really happening. But what we will continue to do — if it does happen — we will go back to court and enforce those orders. These lawsuits aren't about policies; they're about the rule of law, which is the reason why appointed judges dating back to Reagan appointees and current Trump appointees are ruling in our favor."

The U.S. Department of Justice in recent months requested or sued at least 48 states for access to their complete voter registration lists, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, which tracks the cases.

Cases against Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah have been dismissed, according to the Brennan Center.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues its push of the SAVE America Act, which claims it will improve election integrity by requiring IDs and proof of voters' citizenship, among other measures. But the act has stalled in Congress, lacking the bipartisan support it would need to pass.

According to the National Conference of State Legislators, every state in the Mountain West allows some form of voting by mail.

In Nevada, Utah and Colorado, all elections can be cast by mail.
Idaho allows some jurisdictions to vote by mail.
Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming allow mail-in voting in smaller elections

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.