Oregon Asks Federal Court to Permanently Block Trump Order Targeting Mail Voting and Voter Eligibility

By Diane Megaw On Apr 25, 2026

In a coalition of 25 states, Oregon asked a federal court to permanently block President Trump’s executive order, which unlawfully restricted mail voting and efforts to limit voter eligibility.

Lawsuit Seeks To Strike Out Efforts to Interfere With Mail-In Voting

The power to regulate elections belongs primarily to the States. Oregon has consistently ranked among the national leaders in voter turnout and election security since adopting vote-by-mail.

But President Trump recently issued an order that attempts to limit voter eligibility and mail voting to lists of voters pre-authorized by the federal government, even though the President has no constitutional authority to make or alter laws governing federal elections.

Tidings Insight

The case is about who controls election rules. Oregon argues Congress and states set those rules, not the president or federal agencies using the Postal Service.

Oregon Attorney General Rayfield said, “President Trump wants to turn letter carriers into election gatekeepers – and that’s not a role the Postal Service was built for, not a power the federal government has, and not something Oregon will accept.

Rayfield said that the order is part of a years-long campaign to manufacture doubt about election results that Trump didn’t like.

The states filed a motion for summary judgment as part of their ongoing challenge to the Trump Administration’s efforts to bring election control under federal control.

The same coalition brought a lawsuit against the Administration earlier this month, arguing that Executive Order No. 14399, entitled Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections, is unconstitutional and beyond the authority of the President and other federal officials.

The current motion in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts seeks to permanently block enforcement of the key provisions of the executive order.

The states argue that the executive order unconstitutionally usurps state sovereignty by dictating voter eligibility and coercing states to deny ballots.

The states also say the order infringes on Congressional authority over the USPS, threatens fiscal stability, and creates legal jeopardy for officials, ultimately undermining public trust and state election administration.

Tidings Insight

Oregon’s vote by mail system depends on county election officials sending ballots directly to registered voters. A federal preapproval list would add another gatekeeper before ballots move.

Oregon Mail-In Ballots Helped State Become A Voter Turnout Leader

75.4% of registered voters in Oregon cast ballots in the 2024 general election, totaling 2,308,256 votes.

Oregon has held all-mail general elections since 2000, and a report noted that, since adopting vote-by-mail, the state has consistently ranked as a national leader in voter turnout and security.

The 2024 voter turnout was 105,634 fewer voters than 2020- a 5% decline, according to data from the Oregon Secretary of State, but the state’s overall turnout rate was still higher than the national average of about 64%.