A federal judge on Friday dealt a setback to President Trump’s efforts to tighten election rules, blocking major portions of a White House executive order aimed at reforming mail-in voting and voter registration standards.
U.S. District Judge John H. Chun, a Biden appointee, ruled that the Trump administration cannot force states to follow a national deadline requiring mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day. The ruling came out of federal court in Seattle and spans more than 70 pages.
In his decision, Judge Chun said the Constitution gives states—along with Congress—the authority to regulate elections, not the president. Because of that, he concluded the executive branch does not have the power to impose uniform ballot-receipt rules on states such as Washington and Oregon.
The judge also blocked another part of the executive order that would have limited federal election funding for states that refuse to use voter registration forms requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. That provision had been promoted by the administration as a safeguard to ensure only eligible voters are added to the rolls.
President Trump has long argued that America’s election system needs stronger protections, particularly after the massive expansion of mail-in voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has repeatedly warned that late-arriving ballots and looser verification rules can weaken trust in the electoral process.
The executive order specifically criticized states that count absentee or mail-in ballots received after Election Day, even if those ballots were postmarked on time. Many states allow that practice, arguing it helps ensure every legally cast vote is counted.
Democrat-led states quickly challenged the order, claiming the White House was exceeding its constitutional authority. Judge Chun sided with those arguments, ruling that the order violated separation-of-powers principles and could not be enforced.
Washington and Oregon filed their lawsuits separately, noting that both states rely almost entirely on universal mail-in voting systems and would be especially affected by the changes.
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown praised the ruling, saying it protected existing election laws and reaffirmed state control over voting procedures.
The decision underscores the continuing national debate over election integrity, states’ rights, and whether Congress—not the executive branch—will ultimately take up broader election reforms ahead of future national elections.
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