Secretary Read: 'We Will Defend Oregonians’ Freedom to Vote from Illegal Federal Overreach' Oregon joins lawsuit against unconstitutional executive order

Today, Oregon joined 22 other states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit to block the unconstitutional executive order signed by President Trump earlier this week that would give the federal government the power to choose who votes in Oregon. This lawsuit is one of the many steps Oregon leaders are currently taking to defend election integrity.

Secretary of State Tobias Read is releasing the following statement:

"As Secretary of State, my job is simple: protect our elections and make sure every eligible vote is counted. This latest executive order is a desperate, clearly illegal power grab from a president who wants to make it harder for the people to hold politicians accountable.

"Our Constitution is clear: states run elections, not the Department of Homeland Security, not the Postal Service, and certainly not the president. I want to thank Attorney General Rayfield for his partnership as we work together to defend Oregon elections and our allies around the country for stepping up to challenge this executive order in court. No matter what comes next, we will continue to defend Oregonians' freedom to vote from illegal federal overreach."

Oregon pioneered vote-by-mail more than 25 years ago, and it remains the gold standard for election integrity and access nationwide.