A win for vote-by-mail, amid gathering concern
By The Herald Editorial Board
A ruling Friday by a federal District Court judge in Seattle scored a win for states — specifically Washington and Oregon — regarding administration of federal elections.
Judge John H. Chun ruled against an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in April that threatened to withhold federal election funds to the states if they did not uphold a requirement that those registering to vote show proof of U.S. citizenship; and if both states — both of which allow ballots to be submitted by mail — did not disqualify ballots received after Election Day, even if postmarked on or before Election Day.
“Today’s ruling is a huge victory for voters in Washington and Oregon, and for the rule of law,” Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown said Friday. “The court enforced the long-standing constitutional rule that only States and Congress can regulate elections, not the Election Denier-in-Chief.”
The lawsuit was separate from a suit filed by 19 other states over the same order, challenging the Trump administration because it specifically targeted both state’s vote-by-mail deadline provisions. (Six other states — California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah and Vermont — and Washington, D.C., also run vote-by-mail-only elections.)
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/editorial-a-win-for-vote-by-mail-amid-gathering-concern/