Oregon, Washington senators move to block executive order on mail-in ballots
By Griffin Beach on Wednesday, April 29th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., co-introduced legislation Tuesday to block an executive order by President Donald Trump aimed at mail-in ballots and voter registration lists.
The Absentee and Mail Voter Protection Act, or Absentee MVP Act, seeks to override the president’s order and establish permanent safeguards against similar future directives. According to Cantwell, the bill would:
- Block the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security from sharing state voter lists.
- Defunding the DOJ’s efforts to compel production of state voter lists
- Enforce the Privacy Act by barring federal agencies from improperly sharing voter data, both within the government and with outside groups.
- Defund any future Commerce Department efforts to enact partisan regulation of mail-in ballots
“This executive order on vote-by-mail is one more unconstitutional effort by the President to grab control of our elections,” Cantwell said. “Washingtonians cherish voting by mail because they know it is secure and convenient.”
The bill has 39 co-sponsors, including Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). While the coalition consists primarily of Democrats, it also includes independent Sens. Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
In a related move, 36 senators — including Cantwell, Murray, Wyden, and Merkley — sent a letter to the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors and Postmaster General David Steiner. The letter demands that the postal service refuse to implement any measures outlined in the president’s executive order.
