Oregon leads lawsuit against Trump's voting executive order over impacts to mail-in system – WSET

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by KATU Staff
SALEM, Ore. (KATU) — Oregon’s attorney general is leading a new legal challenge against President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at tightening voting rules, saying it targets vote-by-mail systems used in several states and “undermines access to voting.”
Attorney General Dan Rayfield joined 22 other attorneys general and one governor in filing a lawsuit to block the the president’s executive order, signed on Tuesday, to create a national list of verified eligible voters.
Under the executive order, the Department of Homeland Security will work with the Social Security Administration to create a list of eligible voters in each state.
PAST COVERAGE | How would Trump’s executive order on voting impact Oregon’s vote-by-mail system?
Trump is also seeking to bar the U.S. Postal Service from sending absentee ballots to those not on the state's approved voter list, and is also calling for ballots to have secure envelopes with unique barcodes in place for tracking.
The attorneys general argue that the President’s Executive Order would require states to upend their existing election administration procedures for upcoming elections. States would also need to educate their voters on new processes at a "dangerously quick pace "– potentially within weeks of primary elections and months before the 2026 general election.
Governor Tina Kotek’s office issued a press release Friday saying she fully supports AG Rayfield's lawsuit, saying the order imposes federal restrictions on elections and mail-in voting, even though the U.S. Constitution grants states the authority to run their own elections.
“Today, Oregon is moving to block President Trump’s unconstitutional voter suppression effort,” Governor Kotek said. “His attack on the fundamental right of every American to vote has nothing to do with election integrity and everything to do with silencing people so he can ultimately influence election results.”
AG Rayfield's lawsuit alleges the executive order "exceeds presidential authority and attempts to override state election laws without Congressional approval," the governor's office said.
Oregon became the first state to vote by mail after voters approved a ballot measure in 1998.
In the decades of mail-in voting, the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office points to audits that show it is secure, accurate, and fair.
The office also warns that the order could disenfranchise voters.
Trump has been a vocal critic of mail-in voting, alleging it is rife with fraud as he pushes lawmakers to pass a far-reaching elections bill that would clamp down on it.
The president has also used mail ballots, most recently last week in local Florida elections.
“Only Democrat politicians and operatives would be upset about lawful efforts to secure American elections and ensure only eligible American citizens are casting ballots," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in an email to KATU. "President Trump campaigned on securing our elections and the American people sent him back to the White House to get the job done."
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