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Why It Matters
Washington state has operated almost entirely on mail-in voting for well over a decade, making any federal changes to how mail ballots are handled a direct concern for millions of Washingtonians. New proposed Postal Service rules could reshape how the state runs its elections — and lawmakers say they want answers the agency so far isn’t providing.
What Happened
The U.S. Postal Service pulled out of a scheduled appearance before a Washington state House committee on Monday, notifying lawmakers only hours before the hearing was set to begin. Rep. Sharlett Mena (D-Tacoma), who chairs the committee, announced the cancellation after postal officials said they had “improperly confirmed” their participation.
The hearing had been arranged to discuss a newly proposed federal rule that would require state election officials to share mail-in voter lists with the Postal Service. The proposed rule also sets new standards for ballot envelope design. Public comments on the rulemaking proposal are being accepted through July 2, with a Trump administration executive order targeting a finalized rule by the end of July.
The rulemaking follows an executive order President Trump signed in March directing the Postal Service not to deliver mail-in ballots in states that do not comply with the new federal requirements. A federal judge declined to block that order. A separate Trump executive order from last year — which sought to require that all completed mail ballots be received by Election Day — was struck down in court.
Washington’s Vote-by-Mail System
Washington has one of the most established mail voting systems in the country. The state legislature created vote-by-mail as an election option in 2005, and by 2011, 38 of Washington’s 39 counties had transitioned to an all-mail system. The legislature subsequently made mail-in voting a statewide requirement.
In the 2024 general election, Washington accepted hundreds of thousands of ballots that arrived after Election Day, as long as they carried a valid postmark. That practice is now under scrutiny at the federal level — the U.S. Supreme Court has a pending case that could limit how long states can count ballots arriving after polls close.
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs has pushed back against the proposed federal rule, calling it “an unnecessary rule” that “does nothing to provide security in our elections.”
By the Numbers
- 38 of 39 Washington counties had shifted to all-mail voting by 2011
- July 2 is the deadline for public comments on the Postal Service rulemaking
- July is the target month for a final rule under the Trump executive order
- August is when a federal hearing is scheduled on Washington’s request to dismiss a Department of Justice voter roll lawsuit
- Hundreds of thousands of post-Election Day ballots were counted in Washington’s 2024 general election
Zoom Out
The Postal Service rule is one piece of a broader federal push to tighten oversight of state election administration. The Trump administration has pursued Department of Justice lawsuits seeking access to voter rolls in multiple states, though similar suits in other states have been dismissed by courts. Washington’s legislature responded this session by passing a law barring county election officials from sharing voter registration records.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., separately ruled that a Department of Homeland Security program designed to check voter rolls for noncitizens had violated the privacy rights of American citizens. That ruling adds further legal turbulence to the administration’s election integrity efforts.
Katy Owens Hubler, director of elections and redistricting at the National Conference of State Legislatures, warned that the evolving federal requirements could produce a “bifurcated system” in which federal and state elections operate under different sets of rules — a logistical complication for election administrators across the country. Washington’s experience is drawing attention as a test case for how far federal authority over state election systems extends. The state’s budget pressures and ongoing policy battles with the federal government make the stakes even higher for Olympia.
What’s Next
The public comment window on the Postal Service rule closes July 2. A final rule is expected by the end of July if the administration stays on schedule. In August, a federal court will hear Washington’s motion to dismiss the DOJ voter roll lawsuit, a proceeding that could have implications for other states facing similar legal pressure. Whether lawmakers will have another opportunity to question Postal Service officials directly remains unclear after Monday’s last-minute cancellation.
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