Washington AG outlines litigation wins blocking parts of federal election orders and USPS rule

The attorney general's office summarized a series of lawsuits filed to protect state election procedures from federal directives. Noah Purcell, the state solicitor, and deputies Tara Heintz and Carl Smith described challenges to presidential executive orders and the U.S. Postal Service final rule and reported several successful injunctions.

Carl Smith outlined the state's lawsuit against provisions of a March 2025 executive order, saying the district court enjoined the creation of an election-day receipt deadline and other provisions. "The district court granted an injunction against imposing a ballot receipt deadline," Smith said, explaining the court's reasoning and the subsequent appeals posture.

Tara Heintz described the challenge to USPS's final rule, citing multiple problematic provisions: a mandatory ballot-portal requirement, a requirement that USPS approve envelope design before states can enroll voters in a portal, and a burdensome per-ballot scanning requirement at post offices. The district court halted enforcement of key provisions and a broader federal decision blocking the rule followed; litigation continues in several courts.

The AG's team also summarized the DOJ's effort to demand full voter registration files under the Civil Rights Act and noted that Washington was the 25th jurisdiction to obtain a court ruling rejecting DOJ's demand for confidential data. Office staff said these victories preserved state protections for sensitive registrant information and limited federal demands in the near term.