Where Mail Voting Began, Worries Spread Over Trump’s Attacks
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- The American mail-in voting system originated in the 1990s Pacific Northwest, with Washington and Oregon adopting it statewide, initially supported by Republicans to boost rural voter turnout.
- The bipartisan support for mail-in voting has eroded, with President Trump aggressively opposing it, claiming it leads to widespread fraud and issuing executive orders to limit its use.
- The Supreme Court's conservative majority is expected to restrict at-home voting by potentially overturning laws that allow ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted after the election.
- Trump’s recent executive order directs federal agencies to scrutinize state election practices and consider withholding funds from states that do not comply with his directives on mail-in voting.
- The president’s stance has influenced local politics, exemplified by an Oregon Republican activist gathering 85,000 signatures to propose ending mail voting in the state, citing it as a cause of Democratic dominance.
