WA attorney general leads coalition opposing USPS proposed rule restricting mail-in ballots
Jul 3, 2026, 5:00 AM | Updated: 3:10 pm
An election worker processes mail-in ballots. (Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)
(Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)
Washington State Attorney General (AG) Nick Brown and 23 other attorneys general pushed back against a proposed U.S. Postal Service (USPS) rule that would change how mail-in and absentee ballots are handled for federal elections.
The coalition filed a formal comment letter Thursday asking USPS to withdraw the proposed rule, according to a news release from the AG’s office.
“The Constitution is clear: states control elections, not the president. This proposed rule is illegal and dangerous,” Brown stated. “We will continue to protect the rights of eligible Washington voters to have their voices heard in our democracy.”
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Federal judge strikes down Trump’s order restricting mail-in ballots
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March in an attempt to establish a list of eligible voters and direct USPS to only send ballots to those on the list.
A federal judge struck down Trump’s order last week in a lawsuit co-led by Brown’s office. On Wednesday, a federal judge ruled in a separate case that the proposed rule violated a settlement between USPS and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), but USPS did not rescind its proposed rule.
In the letter, the attorneys general argued the rule “amounts to an unconstitutional power grab by the federal government.” They also argued that the president can’t unilaterally change federal election procedures, especially without Congress signing off.
“Implementing these changes would require states to upend their existing election administration procedures for upcoming elections and conduct statewide voter education mere months before the beginning of mail voting for the 2026 general election,” the AG’s office stated. “Such drastic and rapid changes would undoubtedly create confusion, chaos, and distrust in state election systems, threatening to disenfranchise eligible voters.”
If Brown’s coalition fails, the proposed rule would enact changes before the 2026 election.
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