08/28/2026
You should be forgiven for having whiplash, and confusion, when it comes to Trump's order on mail-in ballots. Just this week things have changed about 4 times. Bottom line: The Yakima County Auditor is proceeding as usual, per WA state election law, and you should get your mail-in ballot around October 16th.
Please share this with your friends and neighbors. Confusion about the election is in itself voter suppression. Help them get the facts.
In March 2026, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) directing the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to deliver mail ballots only to voters on pre-approved lists maintained by the federal government, etc. Almost immediately, two separate lawsuits were filed to oppose the EO, one by the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, et al, and the other by 23 Democratic-lead states and D.C.
Lower Federal courts granted preliminary injunctions on the implementation of the EO, on the merits of the case. This was based on the argument that the Constitution empowers states and Congress to regulate the “times, places and manner” of federal elections, affording the executive branch no independent authority.
However, when the US Supreme Court ruled on August 22 that the lawsuits were premature, they only ruled on a procedural point, that being that the USPS rules implementing the EO were not final yet. They did not address the merits of the lawsuit.
Almost simultaneously, the USPS finally issued their rules to implement the EO. Since the US Supreme Court ruling was contingent on whether there were final rules or not, the Democratic-lead states re-filed their lawsuit a few days ago. Today, they secured a court order temporarily blocking the new USPS rules. Besides the merits of the case, the court found compliance with the rule before the November elections would be “practically impossible."
And that's where it stands today. Tomorrow, next week, who knows? But WA election law requires that ballots be mailed out to service members and overseas voters in three weeks. The ballots for the General election have to be at the printer right after Labor Day, and the envelopes are already printed. The Yakima County Auditor is proceeding as usual, per WA state election law.
District court judge issues temporary restraining order to block rule from taking effect A coalition of 25 states co-led by Attorney General Nick Brown has secured an order temporarily blocking a new rule by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) that would have disrupted the states’ vote-by-mail programs...
