Washington’s Secretary Of State Slams President’s Plan To Eliminate Mail-In Voting – KXL

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs on Tuesday denounced President Donald Trump’s announced plan to eliminate vote-by-mail and voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, calling the proposal a “direct threat” to American democracy.

“The president’s announcement should be rejected for what it is: federal interference in state authority and a direct threat to every eligible American’s right to cast a ballot and have it counted,” Secretary Hobbs said in a statement.

The President said he intends to issue an executive order banning mail-in ballots and voting machines, citing unproven claims of widespread fraud.

Hobbs argued that the president has no constitutional authority to make such a move, pointing to Article I, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress and state legislatures — not the executive branch — the power to regulate elections.

“For nearly two decades, Washington voters have benefitted from a vote-by-mail system upheld by our Legislature,” Hobbs said. “In Washington, our system works. Every ballot is accounted for, signatures are verified, and results are audited.”

He also criticized the Trump administration for a series of recent actions he said have undermined election integrity, including the dismantling of federal election security programs and the imposition of new federal requirements tied to Homeland Security funding.

“These moves stripped local elections offices of resources while piling on new burdens from Washington, D.C.,” Hobbs said. “This is the Trump Administration’s next step to systematically dismantle and undermine our state and country’s election systems, and I will not idly stand by while it happens in real time.”