Oregon lawmakers rally to defend voting by mail from Trump crackdown

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon politicians are vowing to defend democracy and protect the state’s long history of vote-by-mail after President Trump recently issued an executive order aiming to overhaul elections.

President Trump has long criticized mail-in voting, and signed the order back in March aimed at forcing states to only count mail-in ballots received by Election Day.

Several states — including Washington and Oregon — sued to challenge that order, as Oregon was the first state to mail in ballots for a presidential race two decades ago.

A federal judge ruled in their favor, blocking key parts of the order, including the provision regarding the ballot deadline.

But just last month, Trump once again vowed to crack down on mail-in voting before the 2026 midterm election.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and several local leaders met at the Midland Library in Southeast Portland Friday to share their plans to defend the vote-by-mail method.

“Let’s be clear, President Trump is spinning lies and false claims about vote by mail,” stressed Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards. “Oregonians know the truth. We know vote-by-mail works. It’s reliable. It’s secure. And importantly, it results in more people actually voting and participating in our community and in our democracy.”

Merkley added that Trump’s motives to end mail-in voting are clear, alleging it hinders his ability to manipulate votes on Election Day.

“You certainly see it in terms of his attack on vote-by-mail, because he wants to corrupt the next election,” he said. “He knows that what can be done to prevent people from voting in the manner I just described in cities is a way to increase the Republican success at the polls.”

Both Merkley and Wyden have repeatedly introduced legislation to make vote-by-mail available nationwide, the most recent being the Vote at Home Act of 2025 back in May.

The bill would require all states to allow eligible voters to cast their ballots by mail in federal elections.