Thursday, October 1, 2026
U.S. Postal Service officials were set to meet publicly with Washington state lawmakers on Monday, June 22, as the agency considers a sweeping rule change to add federal oversight to mail-in voting.
But the Postal Service representatives canceled just hours before they were set to appear before a state House panel, said the committee’s chair, Rep. Sharlett Mena, D-Tacoma. Mena said the federal officials stated they’d “improperly confirmed” participation in the meeting.
The Postal Service acknowledged an inquiry about the situation from the Standard, but didn’t immediately provide comment.
The rule proposed this month would require state election officials to share with the Postal Service a list of mail-in voters. It also sets new conditions for states to send ballots via mail, including design of the envelopes.
“States would retain full control over who would (or would not) be able to vote by mail in federal elections within each state,” the rule states.
This is the latest in President Donald Trump’s long-running crusade against mail-in ballots.
Democrats, who in other states more often vote by mail than Republicans, see it as an intrusion on elections, which are run by states. Critics of the plan also say adopting the changes so close to the November elections could cause chaos.
Proponents of the new rule say it would help improve integrity and trust in elections.
There’s no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Washington.
The Washington Legislature established vote-by-mail as an option for all elections in 2005. By 2011, 38 of 39 counties in the state had switched to this system, and the Legislature adopted it as a statewide requirement.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs called the new federal proposal “an unnecessary rule” that “does nothing to provide security in our elections.”
“Once again, we’re seeing federal overreach that threatens to undermine the rights of eligible voters and override states’ authority over elections,” said Hobbs in a statement earlier this month. “This is clearly another attempt by the Trump administration to exercise authority they don’t have.”
In March, the president signed an executive order that precipitated the new policy. The order directed the Postal Service not to provide mail-in or absentee ballots to states that don’t comply.
And election officials could be prosecuted for providing ballots to ineligible voters. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown and many of his counterparts in other states have sued over the order. A judge has declined to block it.
Public comments on the rulemaking proposal are being accepted until July 2. The executive order seeks a final rule by the end of July.
Washington is one of more than a dozen states with a grace period to continue counting ballots, as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.
A Trump order last year sought to require completed mail ballots be received by election officials by Election Day to be counted, but courts struck that down.
Now, a pending case before the U.S. Supreme Court could limit the window when ballots can be counted after Election Day. A decision could come within days, said Katy Owens Hubler, director of elections and redistricting at the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The ruling could result in a “bifurcated system” between federal elections and state and local races, Hubler told the committee, as the case focuses on campaigns for federal offices, like Congress. States could allow ballots to be received after Election Day for non-federal races.
In Washington’s 2024 general election, hundreds of thousands of votes were accepted that arrived after Election Day, but with the required postmark. The system takes longer to report final results.
Trump has also pushed legislation in Congress to restrict mail voting, but it has stalled.
Washington is also the subject of an ongoing U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit as the Trump administration seeks access to the state’s voter rolls, including sensitive personal information. Similar suits in other states have been dismissed. A hearing on Washington’s request to dismiss the case here is set for August.
Democrats in the Washington Legislature this year passed a law to protect voter rolls. The law prohibits county election officials from sharing voter registration records. Instead, they must direct requesters to the secretary of state’s office. Sensitive voter information also can’t be provided without authorization.
Meanwhile, also on Monday, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled the Trump administration’s use of a Department of Homeland Security program to check for noncitizen voters “trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote.”
Courtesy of Washington State Standard
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Snevets
“This is clearly another attempt by the Trump administration to exercise authority they don’t have.”
Once again the trump regime is trying to take away our rights. Not here, no way!
Tuesday, June 23 Report this
Honestyandrealityguy
Common sense sort of dictates that the mail in ballots should be received by election day; hence, the cheating is less likely to occur. And those mailing their ballots will know. I mail in mine the day after I get it.
Tuesday, June 23 Report this
TheVirtualOne
Snevets - Emotional and irrational.
Honestyandrealityguy - I’m with you. Ballot is in the mail the same day it’s received.
People across the country and political spectrum have overwhelmingly supported implementing measures to insure that elections and voting are secure. That means doing everything reasonably possible to prevent fraud of any kind. The integrity of elections is incredibly important, especially in close elections such as the one for governor was between Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi. That means making sure each vote is made by a valid United State citizen and counted properly.
Tuesday, June 23 Report this
TheGreatAnon
VTO: Next time the Thurston County Auditor's office does Election Observes training I suggest you attend. There you can get answers to the questions you legitimately raise.
Tuesday, June 23 Report this
kellykelly
Considering that the USPS is following the president's orders, I would not put it past them to deliberately delay mail in ballots until well after the election.
Wednesday, June 24 Report this
TheVirtualOne
TheGreatAnon - STFU? Not exactly the kind of “language” that lends anything to the conversation. This forum is about communication, not telling people to STFU. Regarding your comment about spending time with the Auditor, been there done that. For the most part, that’s not where the problem lies, at least around here. It is a problem in other parts of the country. However, here the biggest issues lie with the voter registration process and the lack of transparency in the Secretary of State’s office. There is no verification of citizenship when someone registers to vote in Washington state. The Department of Licensing gives driver’s licenses to anyone who walks through the door with absolutely no verification of citizenship. Then that same person can register to vote based on having a valid driver’s license. DOL employees are specifically told not to ask for any identification supporting identification of citizenship. If they do they are subject to being reprimanded and fired. I know this for a fact. When you add to that the number of illegals in Washington, which is currently estimated in the range of 400,000 to over 1 million, there is a gaping hole in integrity of the underlying voter registration systems. SoS Steve Hobbs is doing nothing to plug that hole.
Wednesday, June 24 Report this
SteveA
A. the evidence of fraud is about one in 4 milion ballots according to many reports. The biggest source of fraud sits ion the ovl office.
B. Ballots postmarked by election day are just as secure as ballots marked by 6 weeks prior to election day, that's common sense. Just becausee trump and some others get ants in their pants about an outcome is no justification for disenfranchising the vote of someone who wants to wait until election day to vote.
Wednesday, June 24 Report this
TheVirtualOne
Steve’s - There are many different ways to influence the voting processes, and they vary widely depending on location. Here in Washington, while not perfect, it’s generally agreed the counting process is pretty good. A friend who’s been involved in validating her local Michigan elections for decades says the same of her district, but she’s witnessed Detroit’s process and states it’s abhorrent. Here in Washington, the issues are with it being a sanctuary state. No verification of citizenship is performed or allowed. That is a fact. All state government agencies cover this up. Any police officer is reprimanded if they ask for proof of citizenship. Nick Brown, the state attorney general, has threatened any law enforcement officer with a lawsuit if they ask for such proof.
Wednesday, June 24 Report this
PatMer
It is a good practice for many voters to put their ballots in the mail the day after they get it. Good for you Honestyandrealityguy and TheVirtualOne.
But a lot of people don't, for various reasons. They forget about it. They talk to others about who to vote for. They look into the backgrounds and claims of the candidates. They misplace their ballots. And that human weakness: they wait until the last day, and their ballot doesn't get stamped on time. But these "weaknesses" shouldn't result in giving the feds our own information.
As for me, I wait awhile to see what the news digs up, or clarifies, of the candidates, and their responses. I think that gives me more information about the candidates than I have the day I get my ballot in the mail.
Wednesday, June 24 Report this
Shushu
More diversion, division and confusion from the Emperor. Sounds like preparation for Trump to refuse to honor the next presidential election.
Wednesday, June 24 Report this
CobraCommander
Imagine voting for a guy who is listed in the Epstein files over 33,000 times and performs regular insider trading with your tax dollars
Wednesday, June 24 Report this
Snevets
@Virtual Emotional & irrational huh?! Typical MAGA mansplaining. Do yourself a favor & turn off Fox.
Wednesday, June 24 Report this
TheVirtualOne
Interesting to see immediate triangulation away from discussing the core issues and into MAGA and Trumpism name calling, which have nothing to do with it. Not going anywhere and not going to STFU. Have a nice day!
Wednesday, June 24 Report this
Mugwump
Trump's overall object is to delay, delay, delay. That's his strategy for literally everything. Whether the administration complies with the Constitution in the end, delay, inject doubt, cause confusion. All the better to peel off votes he knows will go against him.
Wednesday, June 24 Report this
TheVirtualOne
Earlier this year, the USPS made several efficiency adjustments to reduce the number of trips between local post offices and regional processing centers. The impact it has is that postmarks are no longer done the same day you drop off an item, but rather when it goes through the regional processing center. The impact is postmarks are anywhere from 1 to 3 days after the item is dropped off. This has nothing to do with recent “political events”. If you want something stamped with a postmark when you drop it off, you’ll have to go to the clerk at your post office and request it.
Wednesday, June 24 Report this
TheVirtualOne
Washington Secretary of State website for online voter registration:
“You will need a current Washington State driver's license, permit or ID card. If you do not have a Washington driver license, permit, or ID, you may use the last four digits of your Social Security number to register. If you do not have any of these, you may still register by mail or in person.”
https://olvr.votewa.gov/OLVR2024/landing.aspx
Wednesday, June 24 Report this
peterpumpkinhead
There has been no evidence of significant voter fraud presented by the administration, and really it only became a thing when in 2015 trump started hinting that the only way he could lose was if there was fraud. All his enablers and supporters jumped on that and are using the lie to keep this corrupt administration in power.
It's not about voting integrity, it's about changing our democracy into a more authoritarian system where those in power stay in power and can act with disregard for the general population. For those who support this, I would recommend you do a little historical reading to see how this usually turns out.
Thursday, June 25 Report this
Boatyarddog
@TheVirtualOne Your what's known as a GASLIGHTER. THIS Corrupt Adminestration has NO authority ( other than an Executive Order) handed down by a CORRUPT President. You DO KNOW that Many of Trumps Executive Orders have been blocked, due to the Illegal Corrupt Actions of this FRAUDSTER POSING As A Legit POTUS. This is A Scheme to disenfranchise Millions of Legitimate Voters into either NOT Voting. WHY? BECAUSE Republicans have been proven to be Cheaters, Liars, Gaslighters, and other forms of ABUSERS. TheVirtualOne, YOUR COMMENT to Another Commenter here, Proves this. It is an Intimidation Tactic. AIMED at causing them to possibly be concerned that they will be perceived as weak minded or Wrong in some way. YOU ARE AN ABUSER ONLINE. WE the Public see this and WILL continue to expose your Antics.
Thursday, June 25 Report this
Boatyarddog
TheGreatAnon, Thank you For EXPOSING THIS TYPE OF ABUSE OF ANOTHERS COMMENTS.
Thursday, June 25 Report this
Boatyarddog
THE FACT that the USPS "skipped" the Lawmakers inquiry Proves Three Things, 1.The action is Illegal, 2 The Postmaster is in League with Corrupt government. 3. The G.O.P. is shakening in the Panties.
There WILL be a Federal Injunctions. THE BOGUS ORANGE BABOON WILL not Succeed in This Corruption Plot to Meddle once again in Our National Processes of Presidential elections.
Thursday, June 25 Report this
Boatyarddog
chrispc2u. YOUR 100% CORRECT, thanks for speaking up to Abusers.
Thursday, June 25 Report this
789meow
Okay? If they want citizens to vote "in person", yet no plan to increase voting places, or any talk of making Nov. 2 a National Holiday again.
Thursday, June 25 Report this
CobraCommander
Came back to let TheVirtualOne know that the Supreme Court decided mail-in ballots CAN be counted after election day :D
Now we just need the full release of the Epstein Files so you understand why criticism of trump is valid and you can explain to us why you think child **** is ok
Monday, June 29 Report this