Trump’s War on Mail Voting Threatens The Pacific Northwest’s Democratic Tradition

The American tradition of voting by mail, born in the 1990s Pacific Northwest, is unraveling under relentless assault from President Donald Trump and his allies. Washington and Oregon pioneered mail-in ballots as a way to boost turnout, especially in rural areas, with early Republican support. But today, Trump’s unfounded claims of “mail-in cheating” and his executive orders targeting these systems threaten to undo decades of progress.

Stuart Holmes, Washington’s elections overseer, warns that even in states where voters “understand the system so well,” trust is eroding. Trump’s August promise to end all mail-in ballots and his recent order to withhold federal funds from states that resist federal scrutiny mark a dangerous escalation. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority also signals a willingness to curtail at-home voting, threatening to disrupt long-standing state practices.

Ironically, Republicans were once the biggest champions of mail voting. Oregon’s first experiments began with a rural county clerk’s simple idea to mail real ballots instead of just sample ballots. The Republican-led legislature embraced it, though Democrats initially resisted, fearing GOP advantage. Over time, bipartisan support grew, and by 1998, Oregon voters approved mail voting statewide with 70 percent support. Washington followed a similar path, led by Republican officials who saw mail voting as a way to increase rural participation.

Research confirms that mail voting increases turnout and has negligible fraud. Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley highlights its role in removing barriers that suppress votes on Election Day. But Trump’s administration counters with cuts to election cybersecurity funding, demands for voter roll access, and proof-of-citizenship requirements—all aimed at undermining mail-in voting’s accessibility.

Republican election officials from the region, like Oregon’s Dennis Richardson and Washington’s Kim Wyman, have publicly urged caution against baseless fraud claims, but their calls have been ignored. Meanwhile, conservative activists in Oregon are pushing ballot measures to kill mail voting, blaming it for Democratic dominance, though these efforts have so far stalled due to overwhelming public support.

The stakes are clear: Trump’s campaign against mail voting is not just about ballots; it’s about dismantling a system that makes democracy more inclusive. In the Pacific Northwest, where mail voting is a trusted and effective tradition, these attacks could have ripple effects nationwide, threatening the very foundation of fair elections.