Judge SHOCKS America: Trump’s Election Order BLOCKED by Oregon & Washington—What Happens Next Will Change Everything!

SEATTLE (AP) — A significant legal setback for the Trump administration unfolded on Friday when a federal judge in Seattle blocked most of the executive order concerning voting procedures in the states of Washington and Oregon. This ruling is a notable development in the ongoing national debate around voter identification laws and the integrity of the election process.

U.S. District Judge John H. Chun determined that the executive order, which aimed to enforce documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration and mandated that all mail-in ballots be received by Election Day, exceeded the president’s authority. His decision aligns with previous rulings from a Massachusetts court involving 19 states and a Washington, D.C., case brought forth by various Democratic and civil rights organizations.

Issued in March, the executive order threatened federal funding for states if election officials failed to comply with its stipulations. Specifically, it sought to require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering and insisted that all mail ballots be postmarked and received by Election Day itself. This could disenfranchise many voters in Oregon and Washington, where ballots are accepted as long as they are postmarked by Election Day. In the 2024 general election, Washington counted nearly 120,000 ballots that were received after Election Day but postmarked on or before that date; Oregon received roughly 14,000 such ballots.

Judge Chun underscored that the executive order violated the separation of powers established in the Constitution, which grants Congress and the states the authority to regulate federal elections. This ruling is particularly impactful for Oregon and Washington, which filed their lawsuits separately due to their exclusive use of vote-by-mail systems that they argued would suffer unique harms from the executive order.

Efforts to require proof of citizenship have gained traction among Trump and other Republicans, who claim that noncitizen voting is a widespread issue. However, evidence suggests that incidents of noncitizen voting are extremely rare, with individuals caught facing severe penalties, including felony charges and deportation.

This ruling not only reinforces the autonomy of states like Washington and Oregon in managing their voting processes, but it also raises broader questions about the motivations behind stricter voting regulations. As the nation heads toward upcoming elections, the implications of this legal battle will likely resonate far beyond the Pacific Northwest.

As the political landscape continues to evolve, the challenges to federal authority in regulating elections underscore the importance of local governance and the need to protect voting rights for all citizens. The outcome of this case may set a precedent for similar legal challenges across the country, marking a crucial moment in the ongoing discussion about election integrity and access to the ballot box.