Federal judge blocks Trump order on citizenship proof to vote

A federal judge on Jan. 10, 2026, blocked Trump's executive order on elections in 🌲Washington and 🌲Oregon. U.S. District Judge John H. Chun in Seattle found that requiring documentary proof of citizenship and Election Day ballot receipt exceeded the president's authority. The ruling found the order violated separation of powers. It's at least the third court to block key provisions of Trump's election order.

Trump issued the executive order on Mar. 25, 2025, shortly after taking office. Section 2(a) would have required citizens to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote. The order also mandated that all mail ballots be received by Election Day to be counted. Both requirements conflicted with established state election procedures in 🌲Washington, 🌲Oregon, and dozens of other states.

🌲Washington Attorney General NBNick Brown said the ruling enforced 'the long-standing constitutional rule that only States and Congress can regulate elections, not the Election Denier-in-Chief.' 🌲Oregon joined Washington in filing the lawsuit. Both states operate primarily vote-by-mail systems that rely on grace periods for ballot receipt. The order would have upended their entire election infrastructure.

A federal judge in 🏛️Massachusetts issued a similar ruling blocking Trump's order in a lawsuit brought by 19 states. That case also challenged the proof-of-citizenship and ballot receipt deadline requirements. Democratic and civil rights groups won a permanent injunction in Oct. 2025 in a 🏛️Washington, D.C., case blocking Section 2(a) on proof-of-citizenship requirements.

The 🏛️D.C. permanent injunction came in a lawsuit brought by the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Governors Association, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The court ruled definitively that Trump lacks constitutional authority to unilaterally change federal election laws.

🌲Washington and 🌲Oregon operate primarily vote-by-mail election systems. Washington automatically mails ballots to all registered voters. Oregon pioneered vote-by-mail in 1998 and now conducts all elections by mail. Both states count ballots postmarked by Election Day if received within specific grace periods. Trump's order would have forced both states to reject validly cast ballots arriving after Election Day.

The Trump administration argued the order was necessary to ensure election integrity and prevent non-citizen voting. Officials claimed documentary proof requirements would strengthen confidence in elections. But courts found no evidence of widespread non-citizen voting and determined the president lacks authority to impose registration requirements on states. The administration hasn't provided data supporting claims of significant non-citizen voting.