Court Blocks Trump Mail-In Voting Rules

A federal appeals court on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing stricter mail-in voting rules ahead of the November congressional elections, while the US Supreme Court considers a separate request to allow them to take effect.

A three-judge panel refused to suspend a preliminary injunction issued by Judge Indira Talwani preventing the US Postal Service from enforcing the new rule. The Justice Department described it as a “modest” mail-related regulation, but the judges noted that under the Constitution, elections are regulated by the states and Congress, not the executive branch.

Under the rule, states would have to provide the Postal Service with lists of mail-in ballot recipients. Envelopes would have to carry unique barcodes both when ballots are sent to voters and when they are returned. The Postal Service could refuse to deliver ballots that do not meet the requirements or are associated with voters who are not on the lists.

In its ruling, the appeals court upheld Talwani’s conclusion that allowing the measure to take effect would likely disenfranchise millions of voters while providing minimal, if any, benefits in combating voter fraud.

The Postal Service issued the rule to implement an executive order Trump signed in March. He has long advocated stricter rules for mail-in voting and claims that his 2020 presidential election defeat was the result of widespread voter fraud. All 50 states allow some form of mail-in voting.

(Reuters, bak)