MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
It’s Friday, Washington Democrats!
Washington Elections Under Attack
This week’s edition of Message from the Chair will be a little different. Given the egregious assault on our election system enabled by Trump’s handpicked Supreme Court, I’m going to do a deep dive on this vital issue and how Washington Democrats are leading the charge to protect fair elections from federal interference.
BREAKING NEWS: The Postal Service rule on vote-by-mail has been temporarily prohibited by a federal judge. This is great news, but not the end of the battle. Follow us on social media for more updates!
In case you missed it, the conservative-led U.S. Supreme Court allowed Trump’s Executive Order, directing the United States Postal Service to not deliver mail ballots returned by voters who aren’t on pre-approved lists, to move forward. The court dismissed a previous ruling from a lower court because the states that sued (including Washington) had sued too soon. Let’s call this what it is: a cynical ploy to interfere with Washington’s best-in-the-country elections system.
So what would the Executive Order do? It ordered the U.S. Postal Service to implement a rule published late last Friday requiring states to follow a uniform style for envelopes used for mail ballots and give the Postal Service a list of eligible voters to receive them. It sounds innocuous until you realize this is the same voter information that Trump’s Department of Justice has been trying to force states to hand over, where court after court has sided with the states that refuse to do so.
The U.S. Constitution is blatantly clear that states administer elections, not the federal government. Now that we are just weeks away from ballots being sent out for the general election, this ruling threatens to throw our entire election system into chaos. Which is exactly the point. Republicans know they can’t win fair and square, so they have to do everything possible to drive down turnout and create excuses to invalidate votes.
WA Dems’ Communications Director Stephen Reed broke down the ruling and how Washington leaders are working to secure our elections. You can click the image above or go here to watch.
As soon as the Supreme Court’s decision came down, Washington’s Democratic leaders leapt into action. Governor Ferguson made it clear, “If these rules are allowed to stand, they will disenfranchise Washingtonians and lead to federal interference in our state elections.”
Attorney General Nick Brown summed it up by saying, “Fortunately, [this] decision does not bless the substance of the president’s actions, it simply says states must wait slightly longer to challenge them. We stand ready to take action to protect the integrity of our elections and prevent this clearly unconstitutional overreach from taking effect.”
And he was as good as his word, suing the Trump administration again over these mail ballot restrictions on Wednesday. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs joined AG Brown to say, “It’s clear that the federal government is trying to take over our elections. We are prepared to fight every step of the way to stop that from happening.”
Washington’s 5.1 million ballots are already printed and will be mailed to overseas voters in just three weeks. The lawsuit, joined by 25 states, argues, “Congress has not afforded USPS any authority whatsoever to set rules for federal elections or mail voting, even though Americans have cast ballots by mail for generations.”
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs also said, “It’s clear that the federal government is trying to take over our elections. We are prepared to fight every step of the way to stop that from happening. Right now, our focus should be on delivering a secure, accessible, and accurate election for citizens. Instead, we are fighting the federal government, which is trying to turn our safe and secure election system upside down for no benefit. There is no reason to do this. Voter fraud is exceedingly rare and does not impact the outcomes of our elections. No matter how many times the federal government repeats the lie, it does not make it true.”
Trump’s latest election integrity threat is to defund police for jurisdictions that do not comply with his efforts to rig our elections. Thankfully, threats like these have failed when challenged in court before.
Here are some talking points you can use in your conversations with voters around this issue:
Democrats are fighting back and using every tool at our disposal to prevent Republicans from disenfranchising American voters.
- The DNC, alongside its partner committees at the DCCC, DSCC, and DGA, has renewed its legal action to stop Trump’s unlawful attempt to restrict mail-in voting through the Postal Service.
- Democrats will not stand by while Trump and Republicans sow chaos and confusion just weeks before voting begins. It is why we are asking a district court to immediately stop the Trump administration from unlawfully disrupting mail-in voting in every state.
- In addition, the DNC has sued the Trump administration over their threats to deploy armed troops and federal agents at polling places as well as their alleged plans to seize ballots in the midterm elections.
Trump and Republicans are trying to interfere with the midterms because they know they’re facing defeat in November as voters reject their harmful and costly agenda.
- Trump’s approval rating just dropped to a dismal 33% — the lowest of his entire presidency.
- Less than 70 days out from Election Day, a majority of voters believe they’re financially worse off since Trump returned to office.
- The average household in America has had to spend more than $3,100 extra on goods and services since Trump took office.
- Democrats are about 8-points up on Republicans in the general congressional ballot.
The American people are going to reject Republicans for their broken promises and failure to lower costs, protect healthcare, and improve the lives of hardworking families.
- While Republicans and Trump do nothing to improve the lives of the American people, Democrats are showing up and defending against any and all attacks on our elections and the sacred right to cast a ballot.
Stay tuned for more actions and information on this rapidly developing fight for our constitutional rights. Follow our social media accounts for the most up-to-date news and volunteer to help us turn out voters who will ensure our rights are protected for generations to come!
Big Upcoming Events
Join Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ro Khanna to Support the Washington Democrats
Friday, September 18 | 5:30-7:00 PM
Downtown Seattle Address Provided on RSVP
$250 Admission | $1,000 Photo Line
$5,000 VIP Clutch (5:00pm Start)
RSVP Here
Donate in Lieu of Attending
Join Rick Steves to Support the Washington Democrats
Thursday, September 3 | 6:00-7:30 PM
Edmonds Address Provided Upon RSVP
$250 Friend | $500 Supporter | $1,000 Advocate
$5,000 Partner | $10,000 Champion
RSVP Here
Donate in Lieu of Attending
- Rally, Protest, and Gather
- Anytime – Sign up to receive ICE Mobilization Alerts for communities in Washington state. Sign up here.
- Anytime – We have organizing events nearly every day of the week through the Primary – find the nearest to you at www.wadems.org/events!
- TOMORROW – Aug 29, WA Dems Coffee Hour, Multiple Locations
- TOMORROW – Arts and Craftivism, Bellevue, 2PM-5PM, Sign up here.
- TOMORROW – Red, Wine, and Blue, Capitol Hill, 3PM-5PM, Sign up here.
- Send us details on rallies and protests in your communities
- Email details to press@wa-democrats.org
- Donate
- If you would like to see less Washington D.C. and more Washington state in your community, please DONATE to The Real Washington Fund – our rapid response account to counter MAGA’s chaos with real organizing, real solutions, and real results. We can’t do the work of holding Republicans accountable without your support.
- Follow us on social media
DEMOCRATS IN THE NEWS
Postal officials say Trump’s mail-ballot push will create widespread errors, NOTUS
Defiant Democrats vow to keep fighting as Alito/Roberts Court signals intent to help Trump’s minions mess with the midterms, The Cascadia Advocate
Senator Murray secures nearly $30 million for Ferries in WA; Murray made WA ferries eligible for rural ferry grants for first time ever, San Juan Islander
Larsen releases statement on collapse of U.S.-Canada talks to prevent Trump’s pointless new tariffs, The Orcasonian
What a Democratic supermajority could mean in Washington state, KNKX
Here are the contenders to replace outgoing lawmakers in WA’s Legislature, Washington State Standard
WA caught in the crosshairs of Trump’s Canada war, The Seattle Times (editorial)
Keep roadless rule that protects U.S. forests from humans, The Seattle Times (editorial)
Sanctuary policies are keeping prisoners in local jails away from ICE, Washington State Standard
WHAT I’M READING
‘Purity test,’ ‘spiritual war’ and geoengineering: Spokane County GOP approves new value statements, The Spokesman-Review
Meanwhile, in Eastern Washington, our neighbors in Spokane are fighting for the future of their county against a GOP that passed a platform calling for “Biblical truth,” hand counting every ballot in every election, condemns “weather modification, geoengineering, and unexplained environmental harm,” and litmus tests like never accepting endorsements from Democratic officials, not supporting new taxes without repealing an equivalent amount, and numerous other extreme ideas. The whole article is worth a read as a reminder of the extremism we work against every day.
Thanks for all you do,
Chair Shasti Conrad
Washington State Democratic Party
In 2024, Washington Democrats led the nation with sweeping electoral victories. Now, we’re fighting to elect a supermajority in Olympia, protect our swing seats in the House, and stand up to MAGA extremism across the country.
WA Dems empowers grassroots organizing and elects Democrats up and down the ballot. Your support fuels our fight to stop Trump and defend our democracy.
We sincerely thank you for your help and support.
Washington State Democrats PO Box 4027 Seattle, WA 98194 United States