OLYMPIA – Today, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Postal Service cannot place new restrictions on ballot mail before the Nov. 3 General Election. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs issued the following statement:
“Today’s decision reaffirms what we already know: the USPS rule would create unnecessary disruption and put our voters at risk. Washington’s election workers are already hard at work preparing to carry out a safe, secure, and accurate election. Now, that work continues without having to upend our election processes to meet unrealistic ballot mail requirements.
“For Washington voters, the message is simple: Nothing is changing about Washington elections right now. Voters will continue to receive their ballots by mail, and I encourage every eligible Washingtonian to make a plan to vote: go to VoteWA.gov to check your voter registration and find official ballot drop boxes near you.
“This is a victory for this year’s election, but I know the broader fight is not over. I will not permit any interference with our state’s constitutional authority to administer elections.”
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 oversees the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime and the Civic Engagement Program to increase governmental trust and participation for all Washingtonians.