Oregon and 22 other states on Friday became the latest parties to challenge a new executive order from President Donald Trump that, if it stands, would reshape mail voting throughout the country.

In a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts, the states argue that Trump far exceeded his authority with an order issued Tuesday.

Among its provisions, the order would direct federal agencies to create a list of voters who are eligible to vote in federal elections in each state and require that the United States Postal Service allow federal ballots to go to only those people. The order would allow the federal government to withhold funding from states that fail to comply.

Trump’s order has been broadly panned as illegal by critics, who point out that the U.S. Constitution gives authority over election administration to the states and to Congress — not the president. There are already at least two existing lawsuits challenging the executive order, one filed in Massachusetts by voting rights groups, and another filed in Washington, D.C., by Democratic Party organizations.

Oregon is a national pioneer in vote by mail. In 2000, it became the first state in the nation to conduct all elections via mail ballots, though election officials increasingly urge voters to use drop boxes to ensure their ballot is counted.

Trump’s executive order is the latest step in his crusade against mail voting, which he often claims without evidence opens the door to mass voter fraud. The president used a mailed ballot to vote in a Florida election last week.

Trump’s new effort is not his first attempt to influence election rules by executive order. A 2025 order that would have required citizens to submit proof of citizenship to register to vote and also required all ballots to be received by Election Day was struck down by the courts.

The president is pushing a bill, the SAVE America Act, that would accomplish some of those same goals. It is mired in the U.S. Senate with little chance of passage.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/03/vote-by-mail-executive-order-lawsuit-oregon/