OLYMPIA – Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs issued the following statement on the recent Presidential Executive Order pertaining to elections, announced March 25, 2025:
“Washington’s elections are secure, transparent, and built on the work of experienced state and local officials who are committed to upholding the integrity and accessibility of our election process.
These local officials and the Office of the Secretary of State remain committed to preserving the free, fair, and accessible voting system that Washingtonians have come to trust — and that our democracy demands. The executive order issued from President Trump, however, could jeopardize that process.
While the executive order leaves many questions unanswered, a few impacts are immediately clear and deeply concerning.
First, it requires that all votes be received by Election Day to be counted in federal elections. This directly conflicts with Washington law, which counts all ballots postmarked by Election Day. In the 2024 General Election alone, more than 250,000 Washington ballots postmarked on time arrived after Election Day. Had this rule been in effect, those voices would have been silenced, especially in rural areas where mail delivery can take longer.
By continuing to process these ballots in accordance with our state’s laws, Washington risks losing future funding from the Election Assistance Commission and facing enforcement action by the Department of Justice.
The order also mandates documentary proof of U.S. citizenship on the National Voter Registration Form and Federal Post Card Application, which is used by military and overseas voters. Washington residents who do not have a U.S. passport or enhanced driver’s license likely will not have a qualifying document. These requirements risk disenfranchising eligible U.S. citizens, including those from historically unrepresented communities.
Finally, the order directs a federal review of state voter list maintenance practices under the National Voter Registration Act, something Washington already does thoroughly and in compliance with federal law. That review will be led by the Department of Homeland Security and the newly formed DOGE. This is the same group that falsely claimed to save taxpayers $8 billion on an $8 million contract and said 150-year-olds were collecting Social Security. They have no place in the nonpartisan work of maintaining voter rolls, a responsibility defined by law and carried out by trained election professionals.
This executive order undermines decades of bipartisan work that has made Washington’s elections a national model. The Office of the Secretary of State will work closely with the Washington Attorney General’s Office to defend our state’s authority under the U.S. Constitution and ensure that every eligible Washingtonian can continue to make their voice heard.”
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Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees areas within state government including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office operates the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, and administers the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees and the Productivity Board state employee suggestion program. The Secretary of State also oversees the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.